KUALA LUMPUR: It was an opportunity that fell from the sky and Chooi Kah Ming-Low Juan Shen took it well when they reached the second round of the Malaysia Open on Tuesday.
The independent men's duo, who were only notified of their participation on Monday, put up a superb performance to upset World No 11 He Jiting-Tan Qiang of China 21-18, 24-22 in the opening round at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
With one title (Laos International Series) already under their belt this season, Kah Ming-Juan Shen are hoping to up their game to qualify for the World Championships in August.
"Winning the title in Laos (February) definitely boosted our confidence, but we also know that it was only an International Series.
"For the Malaysia Open, we were only notified yesterday (Monday) following the withdrawal of India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty.
“We knew we had a chance (of playing in the main draw) because they also pulled out of the India Open last week, so we started preparing.
"It's great to get a win over a top pair. I believe we won because of our tactical strategy.
"We will take it one match at a time because every pair in this tournament are strong," said Juan Shen.
The World No 45 will return to court tomorrow for their second round match.
The former BA of Malaysia (BAM) pair also believe the rise of professional players is a good sign of revival for the local badminton scene.
"There's healthy competition now and it all really depends on how we look at it.
"Our target is to break into the world’s top 20 this year, and hopefully qualify for the world meet. We will then take it from there," added Juan Shen.
In the women's doubles, Vivian Hoo-Yap Cheng Wen were sent packing in the opening round, following a 22-20, 16-21, 21-19 defeat to Thailand's Chayanit Chaladchalam-Phataimas Muenwong.