KUALA LUMPUR: The defeat of mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei serves as a reminder that rankings do not guarantee success in major tournaments.
Despite being the second seeds, Tang Jie-Ee Wei once again struggled to overcome Indonesia’s Rehan Kusharjanto-Gloria Widjaja, falling 21-18, 20-22, 11-21 in the first round of the All-England on Wednesday.
It was also their second consecutive loss to the same opponents in just seven days, following their quarter-final exit at the Orleans Masters in France.
National coaching director Rexy Mainaky stressed that although Rehan and Gloria are ranked No. 110 in the world, they are far from ordinary players.
Rehan previously partnered Lisa Ayu Kusumawati and were ranked in the world’s top 10 in 2023, while Gloria, who once paired with Dejan Ferdinansyah, reached as high as No. 8.
With frequent changes in doubles partnerships across many countries, world rankings do not always reflect a pair’s true capabilities.
“Badminton today is no longer just about rankings, as scratch pairs can be easily formed. You cannot simply say a pair lost to opponents ranked in the 100 something because rankings are not the sole determining factor.
“Nowadays, every player must stay alert, stay focused, put in the effort, and show strong fighting spirit on the court. You need to remember that their opponents were once among the world’s top 10,” said Rexy.
However, Rexy explained that Tang Jie-Ee Wei’s defeat in the tournament was due to their own tendency to get easily distracted when their game plan did not go as expected.
“In the first game, Tang Jie and Ee Wei played with the right strategy, and they continued to do so in the second game until the crucial point at 20-20.
“But from what I observed, when things did not go their way, both players showed it to their opponents through negative body language. Tang Jie, for example, started playing it safe and lacked the eagerness he had before.
“They lost to the Indonesian pair because they were easily distracted. When their tactics no longer worked, they failed to stay together and absorb the pressure as a team,” he added.
