Malaysia’s men’s doubles Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi in action against South Korea’s Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae in the quarter-finals match of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Friday. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi can take heart from their battling performance despite losing in the men’s doubles quarter-finals of the Denmark Open.
The independent pair have been struggling for form in the past few months but showed signs of revival when they gave home favourites Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen a run for their money before going down 19-21, 21-11, 14-21 at the Jyske Bank Arena in Odense on Friday.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi could have won the first game but ended up losing out narrowly in the crucial moments.
The pair came out firing in the second game and put the Danes under pressure with their aggressive attacks.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi were rewarded with a win but could not maintain their form in the third game.
But it was still a much improved performance from the duo after they had lost tamely 15-21, 10-21 to world No. 6 Astrup-Rasmussen in their last encounter in the third round of the World Championships in August.
It was also Yew Sin-Ee Yi’s second consecutive last-eight appearance after the Arctic Open in Finland last week.
The pair had also gone down fighting 21-16, 19-21, 14-21 in Finland to another Danish pair, Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard.
Prior to the Arctic Open, Yew Sin-Ee Yi had only made it to the quarter-finals once in seven tournaments.
They had reached the last eight of the China Open last month before going down in three games to fellow Malaysians Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi need to build on their improved performances in the Arctic and Denmark Opens to stand a chance of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The pair need to finish in the world’s top eight before the end of the qualifying period in April next year to make the cut.
Currently, Yew Sin-Ee Yi are vying with younger compatriots Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 19) and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (No. 24) for a coveted spot in the Olympics.
Aaron-Wooi Yik are almost assured of a place, leaving the other three pairs to battle it out for the right to join them.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi will next turn their attention to the French Open which starts on Tuesday in Rennes.
