Time out: Chen Tang Jie taking a break during the match to wipe his bleeding nose as Toh Ee Wei looks on. — BWF/Badmintonphoto
PETALING JAYA: Chen Tang Jie did not let his bleeding nose stop him from striking it right with Toh Ee Wei in the World Tour Finals.
In fact, Tang Ji-Ee Wei were in smashing form as they confirmed their tickets for the semi-finals yesterday after beating Dejan Ferdinansyah-Gloria Imanuelle of Indonesia 21-17, 21-18 in a Group B match in Hangzhou, China, yesterday.
His nose bled in the first game but it was the least worry in his mind as he was determined to exact revenge against Dejan-Gloria.
“Yes, my nose was bleeding but I’ve had this condition since I was young. I’ve a sensitive nose and I’ve seen a doctor about it. It’s nothing to worry about,” said Tang Jie.
“I’m just happy to beat the Indonesians. We lost to them once before (China Open this year).
“I had problems then with my knee and I was not in the best condition. That, however, is not an excuse in losing to them.
Ee Wei said their coach Nova Widianto had kept motivating them.
“After that defeat (to Dejan-Gloria), our coach gave us a lot of encouragement.
‘‘We were more steady today (yesterday) and showed improvement in our game this time,” said Ee Wei.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will complete the group fixture when they face Hiroki Morikawa-Natsu Saito today and they have only one aim – to beat their opponents and qualify for the semis as group champions.
They have played against the Japanese pair four times and won twice at this year’s Thailand Masters and during their first encounter at the 2022 Bangladesh International Challenge.
Even if they lose, they are expected to reach the semis. It’s definitely an improvement considering that they failed to clear the group stage in their debut last year.
For reaching the semis, Tang Jie-Ee Wei are assured of US$17,500. The winners get to take home US$210,000.
Professionals Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie could also make it a grand day if they beat Dejan-Gloria in a must-win match.
The duo revived their chances of making the cut for the semis after beating Morikawa-Saito of Japan 21-14, 21-14. A day ago they have lost to Tang Jie-Ee Wei.
Said Shevon: “Today, we are satisfied with our game, we played patiently. We adjusted to the condition of the court better and kept our mindset right.
“We knew anything can happen in the round-robin format, and were focused on our own game.
“We may have not played against them (Dejan-Gloria) before but both of us are familiar with each other’s playing style. We will just have to be prepared.”
