PETALING JAYA: It will be redemption time for independent men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi at the China Open in Changzhou after their medal hunt at the World Championships ended in the preliminary rounds in Copenhagen last week.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi lost to eventual runners-up Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark in the third round, thus ending their aim of winning a second medal at the World Championships.
The world No. 8 had won a bronze after reaching the semi-finals in Huelva, Spain, in 2021.
They will be back in action in the Super 1000 China Open which has attracted almost all the top 20 pairs and Yew Sin-Ee Yi will not have it easy in their first round where they will meet the unpredictable China pair Ren Xiangyu-Tan Qiang.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi have beaten the world No. 19 from China in their two meetings – the Malaysian Open and Malaysian Masters – this year but playing at the opponents’ den would provide a new challenge for the Malaysian pair.
Independent coach Rosman Razak said Yew Sin-Ee Yi cannot take the China pair for granted based on their past record.
“The first-round match is tricky for Yew Sin-Ee Yi although they have beaten Xiangyu-Tan Qiang twice before,” said Rosman.
“The China pair have improved a lot in the last few tournaments but we are looking forward to a win against them.”
A win will give them an easier second-round encounter with either Lucas Corvee-Ronan Labar of France or Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard.
World Championships semi-finalists Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will also aim to bounce back in China where they will meet South Korean pair Choi Sol-gyu-Kim Won-ho in their opening round.
Sol-gyu’s injury saw him and Won-ho withdrawing from the world meet in Copenhagen and it remains to be seen if they will see action in Changzhou.
If Sol-gyu-Won-ho won’t be available, their compatriots Na Sung-seung-Jin Yong will replace the spot.
Aaron-Wooi Yik are not expected to face issues in the first round but will face a tougher clash against He Jiting-Zhao Haodong in an expected second-round encounter. It will be interesting times for Aaron-Wooi Yik as they may cross paths against Yew Sin-Ee Yi in a third-round clash should both pairs survive the early scares, thus confirming at least one Malaysian pair in the quarter-finals stage.
Malaysia will have Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, Anna Cheong-Teoh Mei Xing and independent combination Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien competing in the women’s doubles.
