KUALA LUMPUR – One person’s loss is another’s gain. In this case, the men’s doubles pair.
The India Open, set to commence tomorrow, has witnessed a change in its line-up as French brothers Toma Junior Popov and Christo Popov step in following the withdrawal of Malaysia’s professional men’s doubles pair, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi.
Ee Yi’s unforeseen setback emerged as he faced complications securing a visa, forcing the duo to pull out of the Super 750 event.
Taking to Instagram, Ee Yi openly admitted to the oversight of applying for an e-visa with an outdated passport, rendering him unable to enter India despite arriving safely.
“Because I made a mistake, wrongly applied for an e-visa using an old passport. So now I can’t enter India,” he shared on his Instagram Story today.
Despite efforts to secure an emergency visa through the Malaysian embassy, Ee Yi’s attempts proved unsuccessful.
“First of all, thank you to the Malaysian embassy for helping me and also to everyone who helped and worried about me.
“Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do; they decided to send me home, and I am now on the plane.
“Apologies to everyone; it was my mistake, and in the end, we have to withdraw from the India Open,” he explained.
As a result of their withdrawal, the originally scheduled match up between Yew Sin-Ee Yi and Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi, who defeated them in straight games at last week’s Malaysia Open quarter-finals, will now see the Japanese duo facing the Popov brothers.
In their previous appearance at the India Open last year, Yew Sin-Ee Yi reached the quarter-finals before being defeated by compatriots Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik. – January 15, 2024