Patience pays off as Jimmy-Su Yin stun world No. 1 at Singapore Open

KUALA LUMPUR: A shared resolve to stay patient was the quiet weapon that powered mixed doubles pair Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin to a shocking upset in the first round of the Singapore Open on Tuesday.

The pair defeated top seeds and China’s world No. 1 Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping 23-21, 21-16 in the first round, with both players crediting a disciplined, grind-first approach as the foundation of the win.

The partnership was formed last month after Hoo Pang Ron chose to leave the national set-up, leaving Su Yin to be paired with Jimmy.

They made their debut together at last week’s Malaysia Masters, where they were eliminated in the first round by Denmark’s world No. 6 Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje 21-13, 21-15.

Su Yin said she had made a conscious decision before the match to keep the approach simple, telling Jimmy that against a top Chinese pair, points would not come easily and discipline was everything.

“Our game plan is to be patient because they are world No. 1, so it will be hard to get a kill,” she told the Badminton World Federation in a post-match interview.

“I said we must be even more patient, whether at the back or the front, because it’s hard to win a point.”

Jimmy echoed the same message, saying the key was to remain composed even while going on the offensive.

“The key was staying patient because they are strong and the top seeds, so you must be patient and aggressive,” he said.

“I’m happy because in the last tournament, we didn’t play that well. We just had to forget about the Malaysia Masters early exit and tried to get our form back and we have managed to get it.”

Su Yin is no stranger to facing Yan Zhe- Dong Ping on the big stage, having taken them to a China Masters final two years ago alongside Pang Ron, where they fell in three games.

However, she deliberately chose not to share that experience with Jimmy ahead of Tuesday’s match, wary of adding to the mental load on her new partner.

“I didn’t share because I was afraid that if I shared more, it would give him more pressure,” she said.

“So I just told him to play our game.”

They will play either India’s world No. 38 Rohan Kapoor-G. Ruthvika Shivani or Taiwan’s world No. 22 Yang Po Hsuan-Hu Ling Fang in the second round on Thursday.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

المصدر: New Straits Times