PETALING JAYA: Toh Ee Wei may be playing with a stand-in partner at the Taiwan Open, but the mixed doubles ace showed she hasn’t lost her touch.
Despite the new pairing with Loo Bing Kun, Ee Wei underlined her class and experience by helping steer the duo to a stunning second-round victory over Olympic silver medallist Jeong Na-eun and her new partner Ki Dong-ju. The Malaysian pair came from behind to win 15-21, 23-21, 21-8 at Taipei Arena yesterday.
It was a result that surprised many but not Ee Wei, who was pleased with how the partnership has clicked despite being formed just a month ago.
The 23-year-old also took pride in her role as the more experienced player, guiding Bing Kun through the match even though they are of similar age.
“Bing Kun is someone who is hardworking during training and truly a fighter on the court. We received advice from coach Lutfi Zaim on court, so for me, with Bing Kun, we just need to trust each other and find ways to score points,” said Ee Wei when contacted.
“I’m happy because we won the match, and I’m happy because Bing Kun played well and really pushed himself to win.”
The duo were paired together following a brief disagreement between Ee Wei and her regular partner Chen Tang Jie, which led the coaching team to reshuffle the combinations.
Although she and Tang Jie have since mended their relationship, the registration for the Taiwan Open had already been submitted with Bing Kun, so the pairing was retained for the tournament.
Ee Wei-Bing Kun will face Indonesia’s Dejan Ferdinansyah-Siti Fadia Ramadhanti today.
Tang Jie is also competing in Taiwan, teaming up with Chan Wen Tse, and the pair advanced to the quarter-finals after ousting Marwan Faza and Aisyah Pranata 18-21, 21-18, 21-17.
Tang Jie-Wen Tse, seeded seventh, will face another Indonesian pair, Bobby Setiabudi and Melati Oktovianti, for a place in the last four.
