That’s because the unseeded pair defeated their training buddies and No 7 seeds Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.

With the world No 14 pair trailing 11-18 and on the brink of losing the first game, they somehow managed to stage a comeback and win 21-18.

Kian Meng-Pei Jing, ranked ninth in the world, recovered with a 21-19 win in the second game but Soon Huat-Shevon secured their second round ticket with a 21-18 victory in the decider.

Shevon admitted that they had hoped to play against another pair in the opening round.

“I wish to see more Malaysian representatives in the next round but we had to accept the draw. Our aim now is to ensure the Malaysian flag flies high by stepping onto the podium,” she said.

Shevon said she had difficulty controlling the shuttle due to a strong draft, especially in the first game, but was relieved to see Soon Huat come to the rescue with a valiant performance.

She admitted that they were still not fully fit after recovering from food poisoning at the Indonesia Masters recently, but were glad to clear their first hurdle.

Kian Meng said he and Pei Jing were unlucky to lose while his partner vowed to make amends in the Malaysia Masters next week.

In the men’s doubles, young Malaysian pair Chang Yee Jun-Yap Roy King put up a commendable display against Liu Yu Chen-Ou Xuan Yi but ended up losing 14-21, 18-21 to the Chinese pair.

Roy King said their inexperience proved costly but they hope to come back stronger in the future.