Su Yin out to repay 'big brother' Pang Ron in Paris

KUALA LUMPUR: Cheng Su Yin wants to repay her “big brother” partner Hoo Pang Ron with a strong showing at next week’s World Championships in Paris.

The 22-year-old was an unknown until national mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto handpicked her to pair with Pang Ron in November 2023, and the duo made quick progress.

Their breakthrough came at the China Masters in November last year, where they stunned China‘s world No. 2 Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin and Hong Kong’s world No. 3 Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet before finishing runners-up.

But the world No. 16 have since struggled to maintain that momentum.

“Pang Ron is like an excellent big brother who has never been angry with me and has always guided me to overcome my weaknesses,” said Su Yin.

“Win or lose, I want to give it my all to repay his trust in me in Paris.

“Sometimes I try too hard to prove myself and put too much pressure on my shoulders. It stops me from showing my best on court, especially in training.

“Opponents have also figured out our style, so we’re working on mixing up our tactics. I’m excited for my first World Championships, and I just hope I can replicate my training form at the tournament.”

Seeded 15th, Pang Ron-Su Yin will carry less expectation than their higher-ranked BAM compatriots — world No. 4 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and world No. 6 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai.

“We are not highly seeded like our compatriots, so there will be less pressure on us. I hope to take advantage of that and play my best,” she added.

The pair have a bye in the opening round and a manageable second-round test against either Germany’s world No. 55 Malik Bourakkadi-Leona Michalski or Azerbaijan’s unranked Jahid Alhasanov-Hajar Nuriyeva.

Victory would likely set up an all-Malaysian clash with Soon Huat-Shevon for a place in the quarter-finals.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

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