KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s top mixed doubles duo, Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, encountered another learning experience as they bowed out in the second round of the India Open today.
Despite tasting defeat against Thailand’s seventh-ranked duo, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, in straight sets (21-19, 21-16) lasting 51 minutes at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi, the resilient pair remains undeterred.
This setback echoes their performance at last week’s Malaysia Open, where they suffered a loss to Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito in the round of 16 (24-22, 21-14) in 42 minutes.
In a post-match interview with BWF, Tang Jie acknowledged the need for improvement and expressed their frustration with the results, but emphasised the importance of learning from mistakes.
“We need to improve our consistency when returning the shuttle, that is something that we need to spend more time practising.
“We are frustrated with the result but this is the reality of a competition, of an athlete’s life.
“We need to improve faster and put these two results behind us,” said Tang Jie.
The pair also confirmed that they would participate in the Indonesia Masters next week and the Thailand Masters the week after.
Ee Wei added that they gave their best on the court and, despite the loss, considered it a valuable lesson.
Looking ahead to the Indonesia Masters from January 23-28, she emphasised the importance of starting afresh and utilising their time to intensify training efforts.
In the women’s doubles, Vivian Hoo and Lim Chiew Sien also exited the tournament after a hard-fought battle against Hong Kong’s Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam, ending 21-11, 15-21, 21-10 in an hour and 21 minutes.
Providing a silver lining for Malaysia, the independent mixed doubles pair of Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai secured a victory against China’s Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi, 26-24, 21-10, in 42 minutes.
They are set to face China’s world number five pair, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, in the quarter-finals tomorrow. – January 18, 2024