With the India Open (May 11-16) postponed due to the escalating pandemic in the country, all elite shuttlers would be training their attention to the upcoming Malaysia Open (May 25-30).
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) affirmed that the tournament would still be on track, with even supporters slated to make a comeback for the first time since last year’s All-England Open.
The national shuttlers in particular would be looking to make up for less than satisfactory performances prior to this, backed by home support that shouuld prove a crucial element.
Mixed doubles ace Goh Liu Ying is looking forward with partner Chan Peng Soon for the anticipated event, eager to atone for the disappointment of their All-England outing.
“The postponement is good for us, as we’ll get a chance to train harder and regain our rhythm before the Malaysia Open, and Singapore Open after that in June.
“We are expecting top players to come for the Malaysia Open, so it’s going to be a competitive affair. It will also give us qualifying points for the Tokyo Olympics,” she said.
Fitness is one key area the pair will need to work on, as it was the catalyst to their semi-final loss to Japan’s Yuki Kaneko-Misaki Matsutomo at last month’s All-England.
The Badminton World Federation are expected to disclose the entries for the Malaysia Open soon.
With the event being one of the final two events offering a pathway to the Olympics, all the top shuttlers including Kento Momota, Viktor Axelsen, Carolina Marin and Akane Yamaguchi are expected to make the trip to Malaysia.
The Chinese contingent are also likely to make an appearance after over a year out.
Before the Malaysia Open starts, there is also the Spain Masters (May 18-23) where the likes of S.Kisona and Cheam June Wei are expected to contest in.
