KUALA LUMPUR – Round one of the Singapore Open concluded with slightly more than half of the Malaysian representatives progressing to the second round of this Super 750 event.
The highlight of the day was the unfortunate walkover by men’s singles hopeful Lee Zii Jia, who withdrew from his match against Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting due to lingering pain from a cramp in his leg.
This allowed Ginting to advance to the second round, where he will face another Malaysian, Leong Jun Hao, who delivered an upset against Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama, 21-13, 21-16.
In men’s doubles, national top pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, ranked fifth in the world, advanced to the next stage after defeating 42nd-ranked Chang Ko Chi and Po Li Wei of Chinese Taipei in straight sets, 22-20, 21-17.
Joining them in the second round are Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who overcame higher-ranked Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han, 21-18, 21-13, as well as Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, who defeated Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren, 21-12, 21-11.
However, Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong were unable to subdue China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi and lost in straight sets, 21-16, 21-16.
In mixed doubles, Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei easily overpowered fellow Malaysians Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin in straight sets, 21-15, 21-17.
The husband-and-wife duo of Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai, along with Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing, also progressed to the next round.
However, Malaysia’s sole representatives in the women’s singles and women’s doubles events, Goh Jin Wei and the pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, succumbed to the tournament pressure and were unable to advance. – May 29, 2024