Razif-Khe Wei suffer painful collapse in semis defeat
News 8:29 AM
KUANTAN: World Championships-bound Mohd Razif Abdul Latif-Woon Khe Wei’s inability to finish off their opponents is proving to be major hurdle in their bid to forge a potent mixed doubles pairing.
And it proved costly again at the Pahang Open yesterday.
Despite holding comfortable leads in the second game and the decider, the pair went down 18-21, 22-20, 23-25 to Mohd Lutfi Zaim Abdul Khalid-Lim Yin Loo in the semi-finals.
Malaysian satellite champions Lutfi-Yin Loo will face top seeds and World Championships-bound Koo Kien Keat-Ng Hui Lin in today’s final at the Pahang Sports Complex Indoor Stadium.
This is not the first time that Razif-Khe Wei’s glaring weakness has been exposed. They also could not end their games well in the Malaysian Open, German Open and the Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) in South Korea despite getting off to good starts against their rivals.
Of the two, the lanky Khe Wei seems to have a tendency to lose control easily.
But the plucky lass is hoping to come good in her second World Championships in Hyderabad, India, from Aug 10-16, where she will play in two events. Besides the mixed doubles with Razif, she has also qualified for the women’s doubles with Sabrina Chong.
“Razif and I tend to freeze when our opponents catch up during crucial stages. And when the pressure is on, I tend to make careless mistakes,” admitted Khe Wei. “It can get so frustrating ... especially when I know that I can play better. I have to work on becoming more consistent.”
Khe Wei featured in the last world meet in Kuala Lumpur with Tan Wee Kiong but the pair made a hasty exit.
“I hope to achieve better results with Razif in my second world meet. My chances are better in the mixed doubles than in the women’s doubles,” she said.
Khe Wei-Razif’s next assignment will be the Singapore Open from June 9-14.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 8:29 AM.
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