China taking a gamble with new mixed pairs

KUALA LUMPUR: China have two mixed pairs – Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen and Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong ranked as the world No. 1 and world No. 2 respectively.

But they are so fearful of Japan’s rise in women’s doubles, who have four pairs – Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi, Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota, Shiho Tanaka-Koharu Yonemoto and Naoko Fukuman-Kurumi Yonao – ranked in the top eight, that they have done the unthinkable of splitting both their mixed pairs.