Malaysia’s highest-ranked mixed doubles badminton player, Shevon Lai Jemie, has taken a stand. After more than a decade of keeping her long hair, she has decided to have it cut. She is looking forward to make her debut in the tournaments together with her partner, Goh Soon Huat at the Malaysian Masters. Their mission? To repeat as champions! Shevon is counting on her new style to work its magic as they head into what will be a very difficult tournament.
The upcoming Malaysian Masters, which starts next week, will have a top-tiered competition, headlined by the world’s best pairs. A year ago, Shevon and Goh emerged victorious in this event, defeating Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas in the title match. This victory represents Malaysia’s first mixed doubles win in six years. After all, it’s Sabo and Poindexter’s one to remember as an epic triumph for the pair!
Shevon and Goh are hell bent on doing it all over again. In the very first round, they will take on Denmark’s Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch. They admit that the competition this year is a whole lot stiffer. You can bet that China’s world No. 1 pair, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, will come ready to play. The world No. 2 pair, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping will make it even more intense.
Shevon commented on the heightened level of competition, stating, “Definitely, with the Chinese pairs playing this time, the level of the competition will be very high. It’s not just the top two but several other Chinese pairs are there as well.” She knows that playing against these powerful squads will be the biggest test of all.
Even with all this pressure, the Team USA upstart is positive about their odds of success. “Definitely, we’ll give it our very best and we really want to defend the title if possible,” she expressed. But she strongly urged a one-match-at-a-time approach as a way to keep expectations in check. “If we look too far ahead or set the bar too high too soon, it can create unnecessary pressure and nerves on court,” she added.
Shevon’s haircut was a symbol of her transformation—it wasn’t an easy decision to cut it all off. “It’s not a new year yet, but I just felt like trying something different. I’ve had long hair for more than ten years now, so I thought it was time for a change,” she explained. This new style represents her wish for a clean slate. Alongside Goh, she works to bring about more of their previous success.
Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin are one of three Malaysian pairs in the mixed doubles event. A second hopeful pair, Chen Tang Jie and Chan Wen Tse, are still in the running. Datuk Lee Chong Wei was the last Malaysian athlete ever to win a title on home ground. He won the title in men’s singles at the Malaysian Open in 2018. The last local champions in the Malaysian Masters were Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing back in 2017.
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