2025-07-04,KUALA LUMPUR

Mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto has ruled out splitting Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin, backing the pair to finally break their title drought on the World Tour this year.

World No. 13 Pang Ron-Su Yin, the BA of Malaysia's second-ranked pair behind world No. 4 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, have not won a title since claiming the Malaysia International Challenge crown in 2023.

Hopes were high after their run to the final of the Super 750 China Masters in November, but they have struggled for consistency since then.

"There are no plans to split them for now as they are the best we have after Tang Jie-Ee Wei," said Nova.

"I believe they have the quality to win on the World Tour. They almost became champions in China but quality alone isn't enough. They need to be mentally stronger.

"They've struggled with expectations and haven't been able to beat the top pairs since breaking into the world's top 15."

Nova stressed the need for strong communication and effective training.

"Psychology can help, but the most important thing is the quality of their on-court training and how they apply it in tournaments," he said.

"Their communication is improving and they're now supporting each other more."

Su Yin, 22, admitted that confidence has been an issue but is determined to win at least a Super 300 title to stay together as a pair.

"The early exits have affected our confidence," she said.

"But we've been training hard and are feeling more prepared ahead of the Japan Open (July 15-20), China Open (July 22-27) and Macau Open (July 29-Aug 3)."

"We know we have many areas to improve on, and we're trying to learn confidence from the top China pairs. We want to prove that we can also challenge the best."

Their momentum took a hit after Su Yin suffered an ankle injury at the Orleans Masters in March and aggravated it just before the Malaysia Masters, forcing them to withdraw from their home event, the Singapore Open and the Indonesia Open.

The Japan Open will be their first World Tour outing since the Thailand Open in May.

"I've fully recovered, but I'm still a little worried as we haven't played competitively in a while," she added.

"We'll be cautious but give it our best in Tokyo."