Aggressive pair Tang Jie and Ee Wei repay Rexy’s gamble on them

PETALING JAYA: Rexy Mainaky’s gamble to pair up Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei has paid dividends.

The national mixed doubles pair, who have been dubbed the ‘’gangster duo’’ for their aggressive playing style, are flourishing together and played some of their best badminton since they were combined last December en route to capturing their maiden World Tour title at the Orleans Masters in France on Sunday.

Tang Jie-Ee Wei claimed a superb 21-19, 21-17 win over Taiwan’s world No. 25 Ye Hong-wei-Lee Chia Hsin in the final.

Doubles coaching director Rexy had raised eyebrows when he made the decision to split Ee Wei from Hoo Pang Ron when the pair had seemed to be on the rise and had reached a career-high No. 30 in the world.

But his decision has been vindicated by Tang Jie and Ee Wei, who have progressed rapidly under the guidance of mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto.

The pair triumphed in their first tournament together - the Bangladesh International Challenge in December and went on to also win the Iran International Challenge in February.

Tang Jie-Ee Wei also did well to reach the quarter-finals of the Malaysian, German and Swiss Opens this year before winning in Orleans.

Rexy was pleased to see the duo become the first Malaysians to succeed in a World Tour event so far this year.

“It’s really good to see Tang Jie-Ee Wei prove that they can succeed at this level,” said Rexy.

“For me, there’s no right or wrong decisions when it comes to partnerships.

“It wasn’t easy to pair them up as we needed to see how they will work together.

“It’s down to the individual players as well, if they do everything well on their own, they can definitely produce good results.”

Rexy has now challenged Tang Jie-Ee Wei, who are currently ranked No. 26 in the world, to match the top 10 pairs in the world.

“They now need to raise their levels even further,” said Rexy.

“Going up against the top 10 players and beating them should be the next step for them.”

Tang Jie-Ee Wei will have an opportunity to do just that when they compete next in the Asian Championships from April 25-30 in Dubai.

The Asian meet will be the last event before the qualifying period for the 2024 Paris Olympics begins in May.