M’sia Open: drift remains unresolved as wind affects play

KUALA LUMPUR – Gusts of complaints on breezy conditions still blew in on the second day of the Petronas Malaysia Open here at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.

National ace Lee Zii Jia defeated Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen today in his first-round match 21-15, 21-11, but the world number five commented on the noticeable drift present on the field of play.

“Although I felt like I could adapt to the conditions, I am still not 100% used to the wind yet.

“It is very different compared to how it was a few years ago when I last played here,” he told the media after his match.

He was not the only one, as Indonesian men’s doubles pair Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan were on the same page.

“There definitely was wind during the match. But every player will go through this, so we just have to be ready,” they said.

Meanwhile, national men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik said the wind they experienced was different compared to the court test day on Monday.

“The wind during the test court session was very different. When we played just now, the wind was strong in certain parts of the court. 

“The shuttle did move with the wind, but we used it to our advantage,” they said after their win against Japan’s Akira Koga-Taichi Saito.

Women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan said after their win against China’s Liu Xuan Xuan-Xia Yu Ting that the breeze is something they need to analyse as part of their preparation for the next round. 

“We are not very happy with our match even though we won. The court condition and the wind is something we need to look at to get a better understanding,” they said.

Yesterday, mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Lai Shevon Jemie and world number one Viktor Axelsen both spoke out about the breezy conditions, with Axelsen saying it was the biggest drift he had ever experienced in his career. – The Vibes, June 29, 2022