Soon Huat-Shevon stay upbeat despite early Malaysia Masters exit [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: It was not the title defence they had hoped for, but world No. 3 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai are refusing to dwell on the disappointment.
Soon Huat-Shevon, who came into the Malaysia Masters as defending champions, suffered a shock first-round exit after going down 21-18, 21-19 to Denmark's Mads Vestergaard-Christine Busch at the Axiata Arena on Wednesday.
While clearly gutted to crash out early in front of the home crowd, Shevon insisted there were still positives to take away, especially with the pair in the midst of tweaking their style of play.
"Our performance hasn't been consistent, and that's quite disappointing for me," said Shevon.
"But we're trying new things, exploring different angles and building our rhythm again. That takes time, and this is just the beginning.
"We really tried, and though it didn't work out this time, I believe what we're working on will pay off in tournaments to come. We're trying to transform ourselves into a more versatile pair."
It was their first opening round exit on World Tour in six months since the China Masters in November last year, and Shevon admitted the loss was especially tough considering their status as reigning champions.
"There were high hopes, for sure. We wanted to put on a good show," she said.
"But circumstances didn't quite allow that, Soon Huat picked up an injury two weeks ago, and we've been focused on getting him back to full speed.
"I saw some good signs this week, his movement's improving, and he's even starting to try some new things in his game. That gives me a lot of hope."
Soon Huat, who had been managing a leg injury in the lead-up to the tournament, echoed the sentiment, noting that his recovery is on track and that the pair are focused on long-term progress.
"This week, I was starting to move more normally again, I could jump, I had some explosiveness," said Soon Huat.
"In mixed doubles, especially for men, that side-to-side power is critical. Without it, we lose our rhythm.
"Even in the match, we kept trying right until the end. That's the kind of spirit we'll carry forward."
The pair are well aware of the need to evolve to maintain their standing amid stiff competition.
"To stay in the top three, fitness alone isn't enough," said Soon Huat.
"We need variety in our game. Everyone studies each other now, so we have to keep adding new elements, new patterns."
In other mixed doubles results, Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien kept the Malaysian flag flying with a hard-fought 22-20, 21-19 win over Supak Jomkoh-Ornicha Jongsathapornparn of Thailand, while Too Ming Yap-Lee Yu Shan fell 21-9, 21-13 to Ratchapol Makkasasithorn-Nattamon Laisuan.

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