Wiser now: Chen Tang Jie said he saw how world champion Dechapol Puavaranukroh provides cover for his partner Sapsiree Taerattanachai and he intends to do the same for Toh Ee Wei in future. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttler Chen Tang Jie believes he needs to cover for his partner Toh Ee Wei better during matches when need to – just like Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei found home favourites and 2021 world champions Dechapol and Sapsiree Taerattanachai a tough nut to crack and went down 12-21, 18-21 in the final of the Thailand Masters in Bangkok on Sunday.
Tang Jie felt that he did not step in for Ee Wei as well as Dechapol did for Sapsiree and has vowed to learn from his opponent.
“I need to learn from my opponent as I did not ‘protect’ my partner as much as he did,” said Tang Jie in a post match interview with SPOTV.
“Ee Wei had to take many defensive positions as a result.”
While it is important for both players to cover the court with equal tenacity and determination, the tendency are for opponents to target one player and in this occasion, it was Ee Wei who became the victim.
Tang Jie also rued a few errors that he made during the crucial stages which he felt contributed to the loss.
“In the first game, we didn’t find the opportunities to attack and we lost easily,” said Tang Jie.
Toh Ee Wei.
“In the second game, we did better but I made some mistakes when I was attacking during the crucial stages.
“It’s on me and I cannot accept it.”
Meanwhile, Ee Wei admitted that the Thai pair’s vast experience proved crucial in the match.
“They are a top pair and are very consistent,” said Ee Wei.
“We need to learn from them as they were more clear with their decision making during the critical points.
“There are positives that we can take from our performance in this tournament but we need to keep training hard, stay humble and fight again.”
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will now take a well earned break from tournaments for a month and a short break for the Chinese New Year before making a return in the French Open from Mar 5-10 in Paris.
The pair, who are currently ranked No. 9 in the world remain on track to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
