Pure relief: Chen Tang Jie (back) is happy to see his partner Toh Ee Wei enjoying herself as she returned to court at the Bdmntn-XL tournament in Indonesia last week.
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttler Chen Tang Jie was smiling ear to ear after the inaugural Bdmntn-XL tournament ended in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday.
It’s not only because the lucrative invitational mixed team was fun but he was also happy to see his partner Toh Ee Wei show good form throughout the competition.
Ee Wei was a member of team BlitzersXL together with Aya Ohori (Japan); Pornpawee Chochuwong and Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand); Alexandra Boje (Den); Sabar Karyaman (Indonesia); and Ong Yew Sin (Malaysia), who beat HurricaneSBXL in the final to win the US$1mil tournament.
The spunky Ee Wei blended well with players from different countries, and played with much gusto especially in the three-on-three match.
In fact, she hardly showed any ill effect from a freak accident that saw her getting 16 stitches during a gym workout in September. The invitational meet was her first tournament after the mishap.
Tang Jie was pleased and is now looking forward to competing with her in the Kumamoto Masters in Japan from Nov 12-17.
“I think Ee Wei was really happy to return to court in Indonesia and really enjoyed herself,” said Tang Jie.
“She was in good form and surely, this is a good sign to show that Ee Wei is back.
“We hope to get our game going again and make a good debut at Kumamoto Masters,” he said.
The world No. 9 did well to win the Korean Open in September and was riding high before the misfortune struck Ee Wei. They had to skip the Arctic Open and Denmark Open for Ee Wei to recover.
The duo are as good as assured for the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, from Dec 10-15 but Tang Jie wants to be cautious.
“We have a few tournaments before the year ends but our goal is just one – to stay injury free and be healthy,” added Tang Jie.
Tang Jie being wary is understandable as longer breaks from tournaments can affect their momentum and push them out of the top 10 standing in the world.
One rung below them is professionals Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie at the 10th spot.
In the Kumamoto Masters, Tang Jie-Ee Wei will be seeded second behind world No. 8 Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, national coaching director Rexy Mainaky was not surprised with Ee Wei’s quick return to the court.
“She did well in the recent tournament but I had expected it as I saw her performance during training – she was really great and stayed positive,” said Rexy.
