KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Malaysia Games (Sukma) women’s doubles champion Yap Ling, believes she would need up to six months to form a telepathic understanding with her new partner Chen Tang Jie to excel in the mixed doubles.
Yap Ling, who had previously played in the women’s doubles, admitted that the mixed doubles game was different in terms of speed and position in the court.
“I need to learn and improve a lot more. In women’s doubles I play a lot at the back but for mixed doubles I need to play in the front a lot,” she told Bernama.
Yap Ling, who won a gold in Sukma for Melaka with partner Toh Ee Wei through the women’s doubles, feels proud to be Tang Jie’s main choice to replace his former partner, Peck Yen Wei, recently.
The 22-year-old shuttler is not setting any target for her debut at the 2022 Australian Open from November 15-20 because she wants to focus on first striking an understanding on court with Tang Jie.
Yap Ling is also keeping a close watch on emulating Chinese pairs, especially Wang Yi Lyu-Huang Dong Ping, the bronze medallists at the 2022 BWF World Championships in Tokyo, as a reference to learn the techniques needed for the mixed doubles.
Last week, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky decided to ‘break up’ the Tang Jie-Yen Wei pairing following Yen Wei’s knee injury.
Last May, Tang Jie-Yen Wei managed to end Malaysia’s 23-year wait for a gold medal in the SEA Games from mixed doubles when they defeated another national pair, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheah Yee See 15-21, 21-19, 21-13, at the 31st edition in Vietnam to achieve the feat.
However, the Tang Jie-Yen Wei pair was seen struggling with their performance after success at the biennial games in Hanoi, including early elimination at the BWF World Championships and the Japan Open last August.
— Bernama
