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.
At 34, Pei Jing appears to be playing some of the best badminton of her career, having made spectacular progress with her new partner over the last five months.
The world No. 24 pair, who lost 22-20, 16-21, 21-17 to French world champions Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue in Saarbrucken, Germany, also reached the semi-finals of the Denmark Open and finished runners-up at the French Open over the last three weeks.
Their first European outing, the Arctic Open, was the only blemish, as they suffered a first-round defeat in Vantaa, Finland, four weeks ago.
“A good run on our European tour comes to an end with a semi-final finish at the Hylo Open,” wrote Pei Jing in her Instagram story.
“I’m super proud of how far we’ve come and what we’ve achieved so far, but deep down, we know we still want more.
“We’ve given everything we had in every single match, and I truly hope we didn’t disappoint those of you who stayed up late to support us.
“Thank you, partner @hoopangron, for always giving your best and believing in us. Let’s keep the momentum going.”
Pei Jing previously enjoyed a successful partnership with Tan Kian Meng, with the duo reaching a career-high world No. 5 in 2022.
However, Kian Meng’s retirement last year forced her to form a new combination with the relatively untested Jimmy Wong, with the pair finishing runners-up in seven tournaments.
There was a further setback when Jimmy joined the national squad in April and partnered Cheng Su Yin.
However, a new opportunity emerged when Pang Ron parted ways with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) by mutual consent and took Jimmy’s place as Pei Jing’s partner.
For Pang Ron, there were no regrets following their Hylo Open campaign, with the European swing providing valuable lessons despite their encouraging run.
“Did our best. Much more to learn. Most importantly, healthy and injury-free,” Pang Ron wrote in his Instagram post.
Besides their impressive European campaign, Pang Ron-Pei Jing also reached the semi-finals of the Super 300 Macau Open in June and finished runners-up at the Super 750 China Masters.
The French Open marked Pei Jing’s ninth runner-up finish since winning the 2022 Korea Open with Kian Meng, and the hunt for another title will continue when the World Tour returns to Asia next week.
The duo will compete at the Korea Open, beginning in Yeosu City on Tuesday, followed by the Kumamoto Masters in Japan from Nov 10-15.