PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (pic) made it a great day for Malaysia in the All-England after toppling Thailand’s 2021 world champions Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai to reach the second round.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei had twice lost to the world No. 6 Thais this year in the second round of the Indian Open and final of the Thailand Masters in January but showed great fighting spirit to come out on top, winning 21-14, 12-21, 21-15 at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham yesterday.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei were thrilled after beating Dechapol-Sapsiree for only the second time in their past seven meetings.
“We lost to them many times before but we kept motivating each other and believing in ourselves,” Ee Wei told the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after the win.
“It’s always tough to play against them and they have been in good form this year, so we are happy that we managed to get this victory.”
It was world No. 9 Tang Jie-Ee Wei’s first victory over a higher ranked pair this year.
The duo will next face either Holland’s Robin Tabeling-Selena Piek or Denmark’s Mathias Thyrri-Amalie Magelund in the second round.
There was also joy for Lee Zii Jia in the men’s singles after he played brilliantly to come away with a 21-12, 21-19 victory over Japan’s world No. 6 Kodai Naraoka.
Lee Zii Jia went for an aggressive strategy and it paid dividends for him.
The world No. 10 could have even won by a bigger margin as he was leading 20-12 in the second game but the tenacious Japanese threatened to drag the match into a decider by winning seven consecutive points.
Zii Jia, though, was not to be denied as he grabbed the last point to claim the win.
It was the 25-year-old’s second win over Naraoka in their past four meetings and coincidentally, the former’s only other victory also came in the tournament last year.
Zii Jia was pleased with his attacking performance.
He told the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after the win: “I was more focused on my attacking shots today (yesterday) and this worked for me.
“I think any player who faces Kodai needs to prepare for a tough match every time.
“He’s a good defensive player, so I’m happy about my performance.”
Zii Jia was also relieved to get the win in two games after nearly squandering his big lead in the second game.
“I was too eager to finish off the match and Kodai was still comfortable playing against me,” said Zii Jia.
“I made too many unforced errors as the shuttle is very fast and my shots went out many times.
“Although the fast conditions in this stadium is an advantage to attacking players, we need to control our shots as well,” said Zii Jia.
He will take on Singapore’s world No. 11 Loh Kean Yew next for a place in the quarter-finals.
