KUALA LUMPUR – In just less than 10 months since they started their partnership, national mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei took a step closer to winning their third World Tour title of the season after powering into the semi-final of the China Open today.
The world number 11 pair turned up the heat in the deciding set, ultimately defeating Taiwan’s Ye Hong Wei-Lee Chia Hsin, 21-15, 13-21, 21-16 in the mixed doubles category.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei, who won the Taiwan Open in June, marked their fourth consecutive victory against their 15th-ranked opponents.
“This is a breakthrough result for us in our Super 1000 tournament. The last time we performed well was when we reached the quarterfinals at the Malaysia Open in January.
“Our crucial moment occurred in the rubber set as the game was really intense. We kept supporting and trusting each other throughout the match, which led us to victory.
“We have faced this opponent in the past, and they always tend to play an intense game when we compete against them,” said Tang Jie in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation.
The pair will face France’s eighth-ranked pair, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, tomorrow for a spot in the final.
In another mixed doubles match, Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing also emerged victorious as they defeated Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai.
The 23rd-ranked Malaysians took 41 minutes to stun the fourth-ranked Thai pair, 21-18, 21-19, in an entertaining match that saw a total of 40 rallies won between them.
This victory marked the pair’s first win in their last eight meetings against the duo, who had secured the Malaysia Masters title in May.
“We feel amazing, and I can’t describe how happy I am. It’s a really big win for us.
“Tomorrow, we have a really important match against the world champions. We will try to maintain our performance and give them a good fight,” said Pei Jing after the match.
“We learned from our past flaws, and we remained calm while facing them today, which led to our victory,” added Kian Meng.
Kian Meng-Pei Jing will next face South Korea’s world number five pair, Seo Seung-jae-Chae Yu-jung, in the semifinals. – September 8, 2023