KUALA LUMPUR: Composure under pressure carried Wee Yee Hern-Vannee Gobi to their first World Tour title at the Kaohsiung Masters on Sunday.
World No. 83 Yee Hern-Vannee fought back from game points down in the opener to beat South Korea’s Ki Dong Ju-Jeong Na Eun 24-22, 21-17 at the Kaohsiung Arena in Taiwan.
However, Malaysia missed out on a second title after world No. 26 Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting lost 21-15, 21-15 to Indonesia’s world No. 31 Isyana Syahira Meida-Rinjani Kwinnara Nastine in the women’s doubles final.
National mixed doubles coach Teo Kok Siang praised Yee Hern-Vannee for staying calm after trailing early and holding off a late Korean fightback in the second game.
“It was a very good performance from both of them. In the first game, they showed good fighting spirit and composure, especially when they were trailing and facing game points,” said Kok Siang.
“They were calm and fought their way back, which was very encouraging. In the second game, they did not panic and remained composed although the Koreans threatened to close the gap.”
Kok Siang hopes the breakthrough will give the pair confidence to build on their success.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster considering it is their first title. There are still many areas they need to improve on, but this victory is a good step forward, and hopefully they can build on this momentum,” he said.
Yee Hern-Vannee’s victory came against an experienced pair.
Na Eun won the mixed doubles silver medal with Kim Won Ho at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Dong Ju was an Asian Championships men’s doubles runner-up with Kang Min Hyuk this year.
The win also boosts the BA of Malaysia’s (BAM) mixed doubles department, which is in transition following the departure of former head coach Nova Widianto.
National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky recently urged patience as the department adjusts to new ideas under its current coaches.
Nova reunited Yee Hern-Vannee in 2025 as part of a reshuffle to develop back-up combinations for the national squad.
They played together in 2024 before Yee Hern partnered Chan Wen Tse, winning the Thailand International Series last year.
Vannee also won women’s doubles gold for Perak with Chong Jie Yu at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in August.