Source:REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
[Saba Sports News] The Malaysian team’s Uber Cup lineup has not yet been announced. In response, former mixed doubles star Goh Liu Ying strongly supports Toh Ee Wei’s inclusion in the Uber Cup squad, saying that adding Toh to the team would definitely be a plus and that she could be used as a “secret weapon” at key moments. Last year Toh and Chen Tang Jie won the mixed doubles world championship and have plenty of big-tournament experience; if she joins, she would also add depth to Malaysia’s women’s doubles options. At the Southeast Asian Games team event in Thailand last December, Toh paired with GO Pei Kee as the second women’s doubles and actually played against Indonesia, getting an initial taste of the team-competition atmosphere. Although they were unable to win that match and the team lost 2–3 to Indonesia and were stopped at the semifinals, the experience was still very valuable for Toh. Currently Malaysia’s top two women’s doubles pairs are world No. 2 TAN Pearly/Thinaah Muralitharan and world No. 25 ONG Xin Yee/Carmen Ting. If Toh is selected, she might partner with Teoh Mei Xing, since GO Pei Kee has already left the national team.
The writer believes that as a Malaysian badminton legend, Goh Liu Ying still carries influence after retirement; her public endorsement of young players like Toh Ee Wei is understandable and reflects a senior player encouraging the next generation.