Source:REUTERS/Chris Radburn
[Saba Sports News] The Badminton Asia Championships will be held from April 8 to 13 in Ningbo, China. Recently, the organizing committee conducted the draw for the event. The draw results indicate that Malaysian mixed doubles couple Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai may face the Thai pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran in the second round. The Malaysian pair is very dissatisfied with this draw result, revealing that they have faced the Thai pair in three consecutive tournaments and questioning the frequency of their encounters. Data shows that in January’s Malaysia Badminton Super 1000, early March’s All England Badminton Super 1000, and the Swiss Super 300, the Goh/Lai pair has met the Dechapol/Supissara pair. The Goh/Lai pair lost to the Thai duo in the semifinals of the Malaysia event and the quarterfinals of the Swiss tournament, but defeated them in the first round of the All England. Last year, the two pairs also faced each other frequently. The Goh/Lai pair had beaten their opponents in the Arctic Super 500 last October but lost in the semifinals of the Japan Super 500 in November. Currently, in their encounters, the Goh/Lai pair is trailing with 2 wins and 3 losses.