Fired up: Yew Sin (back) and Ee Yi are currently ranked 13th in the Race to Paris rankings and need to break into the top eight before the qualifying period ends.
PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles shuttlers Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi are off to a flying start in the German Open.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi, who were making their first competitive appearance after the Thailand Masters at the end of last month, easily swept aside French pair Eloi Adam-Leo Rossi 21-13, 21-14 in Mulheim on Tuesday to move into the second round.
The world No. 12 will play Denmark’s world No. 35 Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard next for a place in the quarter-finals.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi are the top seeds and Malaysia’s sole representatives in the men’s doubles in the tournament.
The independent pair are in a race against time to make the cut for the Paris Olympics with the qualifying period coming to a close at the end of April.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi are currently ranked 13th in the Race to Paris rankings and need to break into the top eight before the qualifying period ends to join Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (No. 5) in the Olympics.
A good showing in the German tourney will put the duo in a better position ahead of the back-to-back French Open (March 5-10) in Paris and All-England (March 12-17) in Birmingham where all the world’s top pairs will be back in action.
Meanwhile, women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien also made it into the second round after beating Austria’s Serena Au-Katharina Hochmeir 21-9, 21-13.
World No. 36 Vivian-Chiew Sien have a tougher task next against Bulgarian sisters and world No. 26 Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva.
