KUALA LUMPUR: It was double heartbreak for Malaysia at the Indonesia Masters II as both Goh V Shem-Choi Sol Gyu and Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing fell short against home pairs in their respective finals in Medan on Sunday.
The Malaysian-South Korean men’s doubles duo of V Shem and Sol Gyu, playing in their first final together, went down 21-18, 17-21, 24-22 to Indonesia’s world No. 50 Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin after a tense 66-minute battle.
V Shem, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic silver medallist with Tan Wee Kiong, teamed up with Sol Gyu, a former world No. 7 with Seo Seung Jae, earlier this season as both are sponsored by the same badminton brand, Felet.
“It’s been a while since I stood on the podium. We can’t train together, but we’re moving forward with experience. Thank you, V Shem and coach Ameer Zainuddin, for everything,” Sol Gyu wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles final, world No. 40 Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing’s agonising wait for their maiden title continued after they lost their sixth final of the year, falling 16-21, 21-19, 21-3 to Indonesia’s world No. 35 Marwan Faza-Aisyah Salsabila Pranata in just 49 minutes.
It was a particularly tough defeat for the 33-year-old Pei Jing, who took a brave step earlier this year by partnering Jimmy, a newcomer to international mixed doubles, after her long-time partner Tan Kian Meng retired following the All England.
The pair had hoped to finally end their title drought in Medan after finishing runners-up at the Vietnam International Challenge, Phuket International Series, Reunion Open, Macau Open, Vietnam Open, and the Indonesia Masters I Super 100 earlier this year.
Both V Shem-Sol Gyu and Jimmy-Pei Jing earned US$4,180 (RM17,654) each for their runner-up finishes.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
