KUALA LUMPUR: Mixed doubles Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai overcame challenging conditions to reach the second round of the Kumamoto Masters in Japan today.
The world No. 10 defeated Japan's new partnership, Yuta Watanabe and Maya Taguchi, 18-21, 21-12, 21-14 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
Shevon revealed that it took time for her and Soon Huat to adjust to the draught inside the venue.
"It was quite windy. In the first game, our opponents played well, and we were nervous," Shevon told Timesport today.
"But we managed to gain momentum in the second and third games. We're glad to reach the second round."
Soon Huat-Shevon will face China's Zhou Zhi Hong-Yang Jia Yi, who beat Japan's Kazuhiro Ichikawa-Misaki Kurashima 21-17, 21-17, in the next round.
The Malaysian duo have had a strong season, winning two World Tour titles at the Swiss Open and Malaysia Masters.
Runners-up at the China Open, they are third in the Road to Finals rankings, securing their place in the season-ending World Tour Finals in Hangzhou next month.
In another match, Malaysia's Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin also advanced to the second round after defeating Japan's Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara 21-18, 21-19.
Pang Ron-Su Yin will next face Indonesia's seventh seeds Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari.