Goh V Shem & Tan Wee Kiong finally win their first title

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Keep up the good job, Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong! (photo: GettyImages)

Orange: Malaysian men’s doubles pair Goh V Shem & Tan Wee Kiong have gone through ups and downs since they were paired up in September 2014. Their fans and coaches had high expectations for them but Goh/Tan have been struggling to stay afloat.Keep up the good job, Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong! (photo: GettyImages)

The World No. 15 Malaysian men’s pair put a positive spin on their career on Saturday when they landed their first ever career title in the Open circuit by defeating top seeds Vladimir Ivanov/Ivan Sozonov of Russia to win the United States Grand Prix Badminton Championship title in California. Their previous best achievement was winning the men’s doubles and mixed team gold medals at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Coming into the final, Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov held an upper hand as they have beaten Goh/Tan in the Russia Open final on July 26, 2015 with a very close 22-20, 21-19 score. However, Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong refused to let history repeat itself this time, their relentless attack tactics throughout the match  finally paid off in a big way, mercilessly tearing apart the Russian pair in straight-sets 21-14, 21-17 to register success at the US$50,000 (RM216,375) Grand Prix tournament.

“We finally win our Open title, it’s definitely encouraging,” said Wee Kiong.

“Thanks to our coaches and BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia), this victory put us back on track to qualify for the Olympic.”

After their victory in United States, Goh/Tan will get ready to play at Mexico City Grand Prix that start s next Tuesday.

In women’s singles, Pai Yu-po of Taiwan came from behind to defeat Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland 18-21, 21-15, 21-15 to win women’s singles championship, while Lee Hyun-Il was barely troubled by Rajiv Ouseph of England to win the men’s crown 21-19, 21-12 in 37 minutes.

In an all-Korean women’s doubles final, Jung Kyung Eun/Shin Seung Chan beat Chang Ye Na/Lee So Hee 24-22, 18-21, 21-12 and No. 8 seeds Choi Solgyu/Won Eom Hye of Korea pulled off an upset to dispatched No. 1 seeds Michael Fuchs/Birgit Michels of Germany 21-12, 21-14 to win the mixed doubles title.

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