Well done: Malaysia’s Tan Kian Meng (L) and Lai Pei Jing (R) make it to the Indonesian Open semis. - AFP
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing smashed their way into the Indonesian Open semi-finals after taking down world No. 8 Kim Won-ho-Jeong Na-eun of South Korea on Friday (June 7).
Ranked 21st, Kian Meng-Pei Jing took a commanding win in the opening game against the eight seeds before staving off fierce late challenge from the Koreans in the second to win 21-8, 21-19 in 38 minutes at the Istora Senayan Stadium.
They now lead in the head-to-head score with three wins out of five previous meetings.
It was a meaningful win for Pei Jing as she has been playing in the tournament with a heavy burden, after losing almost all her savings to scammers recently.
Pei Jing-Kian Meng will be out to keep the fine run when they take on China’s Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin.
It will be a tough matchup though for Kian Meng-Pei Jing as they have never beaten the world No. 5 Chinese pair, having lost both previous matches.
