KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — The newly formed mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Valeree Siow needs time to build a world-class combination after their exit in the Indonesian Open quarter-final, yesterday.
In the last eight stage, Tan Jie, 24, and Valeree, 22, went down 12-21, 14-21 to Wang Yi Lyu-Huang Dong Ping of China at the Istora Senayan Stadium.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said the duo have been training together for only two weeks prior to the Indonesia Masters last week, when they were ousted by the host pair Rivaldy Rinov-Mentari Pitha Haningtyas in the first round.
Apart from that, Rexy also felt his charges were also overwhelmed by their opponents, who are the reigning Olympics champions, in the first set, before recovering in the second set.
Rexy, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics gold medallist, said the coaching team has confidence in the potential of young pair to become world beaters.
“Before this, (Tan Jie’s former partner) Peck Yen Wei was playing as the lead, but now Tang Jie has accepted that he has to play the leading role and act as the ‘big brother’ to Valeree. They gave a good account of themselves in the Indonesia Masters and Open.
“The doubles coaching team is also analysing all players in the team, we consider various factors including their characters, skills and abilities before deciding on their new partners. It is a collective decision amongst the coaches in the doubles department,” he said via a post in the BAM’s Facebook.
Rexy added that all pairs, including Tang Jie-Valeree, will be closely monitored and evaluated by the coaching team.
The recent shake-up in the BAM's doubles department saw the Tan Jie-Yen Wei partnership, who won the SEA Games gold medal in Hanoi last month, split as Tan Jie is paired with Valeree while Yen Wei is now playing with Choong Hon Jian.
Valeree was previously paired with Rio 2016 Olympics silver medallist Chan Peng Soon and Low Yeen Yuan. — Bernama
