KUALA LUMPUR: There is a strange feeling of deja vu for mixed doubles shuttler Chen Tang Jie (pic) in the Indian Open.
Yesterday, Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei were brilliant as they disposed of Thailand’s Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat 21-16, 21-17 to reach the semi-finals at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.
Tang Jie has been in a similar spot before.
Three years ago when the Indian Open was still a Super 500 event, Tang Jie and former partner Peck Yen Wen had finished as the runner-up. They lost to Singapore’s Terry Hee-Jessica Tan in the final.
Now, Tang Jie has the opportunity to redeem that loss, but first, he must overcome the French duo Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue in today’s semi-finals to secure a spot in the final once again.
Tang Jie does not want to waste his chance in the Super 700 tournament.
“The Indian Open three years ago still brings mixed feelings for me. I emerged as the runner-up and I felt happy, but soon after that, I got Covid-19,” said Tang Jie in a post match interview with Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The possibility of an all-Malaysian final is within reach as Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Jamie Lai also made it to the last four. They will face second seeds Jiang Zhengbang-Wei Ya Xin of China next.
Shevon personally attributes their success up to the semi-finals to their perseverance, never giving up spirit, and their hard work during training sessions.
“It’s a long-term effort, not just in practice but also in tournaments. Tournaments, especially, present the toughest challenge for us because everyone will try their best to win. So, the focus has to be at its maximum,” said Shevon.
“We can say we are executing it better, and you can see that over the past few months, everything is working better for us as a pair and how we compose ourselves on court,” she said.
Interestingly, this marks the second consecutive semi-final appearance for both Soon Huat-Shevon and Tang Jie-Ee Wei after playing well at the Malaysian Open last week.
