Fired up: Malaysia's Chen Tang Jie (front) and Toh Ee Wei continue their fine run in Singapore. - AFP
PETALING JAYA: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei continued Malaysia's fine run in the mixed doubles event in the Singapore Open.
The world No. 21 Tang Jie-Ee Wei fought valiantly to beat Reginald Lee Chun Hei-Ng Tsz Yau of Hong Kong 21-14, 16-21, 21-18 to set up a meeting with second seeds Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino of Japan in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Malaysia have never failed to have a representative in the semi-finals of the mixed doubles event since 2017.
Independent shuttlers Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing reached the last four in 2017 and went one step better in 2019 while Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie lifted the title in 2018 and made it to the semis last year. There were no tournaments in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tang Jie will be out to go all the way with Ee Wei in their debut as a pair in the Lion City but it won't be easy against the Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medalists Watanabe-Higashino. Both pairs have not faced each other in a World Tour tournament.
At the last year's edition, Tang Jie went down in the quarter-finals with Valeree Siow.
Meanwhile, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will take on Wang Chang-Liang Wei Keng of China for a place in the men's doubles final.
It will the Malaysians' fifth meeting against the Chinese pair. They have beaten them only once at the Indonesian Masters in January.
On Friday, Aaron-Wooi Yik fought tooth and nail to beat Leo Rolly-Daniel Marthin of Indonesia 18-21, 21-16, 22-20 in the quarter-finals.
It was however, a heart-breaking end for Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi.
The independent pair battled for one hour 29 minutes but it was not good enough to beat South Koreans Choi Sol-gyu-Kim Wan-ho in the quarter-finals as they went down 22-20, 24-26, 22-24.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi had held match points several times in the second and deciding games but just could not convert them.
Sol-gyu-Wan-ho will face Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan next.
