Veteran warrior Pei Jing hungry for more after European high
KUALA LUMPUR: Independent warrior princess Lai Pei Jing may have fallen short of a place in the Hylo Open final, but the mixed doubles veteran was delighted with the progress she has made alongside Hoo Pang Ron during their European campaign.
Veteran badminton player Lai Pei Jing, known as the warrior princess, displayed remarkable progress and determination during her recent European campaign, despite not securing a spot in the Hylo Open final. At 34, Pei Jing and her partner Hoo Pang Ron, formerly Tan Kian Meng, appeared to be playing some of their best badminton yet, with significant improvement over the past five months.
The pair, ranked world No. 24, experienced a series of victories, including reaching the semi-finals of the Denmark Open and finishing as runners-up at the French Open, all within the last three weeks. Their only loss in Europe was at the Arctic Open, where they fell in the first round. Pei Jing expressed pride in their achievements thus far, but admitted, "Deep down, we know we still want more."
She thanked her partner, Pang Ron, for his unwavering commitment and belief in their abilities. The duo had previously enjoyed success with Tan Kian Meng, reaching a career-high world No. 5 ranking in 2022. However, Kian Meng's retirement earlier this year led to a new partnership with Pang Ron. Pang Ron, who had previously partnered with Jimmy Wong, stated that there was no regret over their Hylo Open campaign.
For Pang Ron, the European tour provided valuable lessons, and he highlighted the importance of remaining healthy and injury-free. The pair's impressive European performance included reaching the semi-finals of the Super 300 Macau Open and finishing as runners-up at the Super 750 China Masters. Pei Jing's ninth runner-up finish since her 2022 victory with Kian Meng demonstrates her consistent performance level.
The badminton journey for Pei Jing and Pang Ron will continue as they participate in the World Tour's next stop in Asia, starting with the Korea Open in Yeosu City on Tuesday, followed by the Kumamoto Masters in Japan from November 10-15.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
