PETALING JAYA: Mixed pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are staying firmly on course with eyes set on a third straight semi-final after riding the unpredictable drift and their rising momentum in the China Open.
The duo tamed the tricky conditions inside the Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre to edge past China’s Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying 22-20, 21-17 to set up a quarter-final meeting with another home pair, Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui yesterday.
The world No. 4 pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are looking at extending their fine run by reaching the semi-finals for the third time in a row, but they are wary of the threat posed by home pair Xinwa-Fanghui, who are equally fired up.
Their second-round match yesterday against another Chinese pair, Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying, had served as a timely wake-up call.
The world No. 39 duo almost pulled off an upset after leading ahead in the opening game, but Tang Jie-Ee Wei mounted a dramatic comeback to win 22-20, 21-17 and secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
Commenting on the match, Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei revealed that the strong drift inside the stadium had made it difficult for them to control the shuttle and execute the shots they wanted.
“We started slow in the first game, and our opponents played better than us, but we’re happy that we managed to fight back and win,” said Tang Jie in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation.
“Our main challenge in the first game was the strong drift and also the condition of the shuttle.
“We were on the side of the court that went with the direction of the wind, so we didn’t dare lift the shuttle as it would have given our opponents a chance to attack more aggressively in the mid and front court. We only managed to adjust after the 11-point mark.”
The win over Jiaxuan-Mengying not only gave Tang Jie and Ee Wei a boost in confidence ahead of today’s quarter-final, but also provided valuable insights into the best strategies to use on court against the world No. 9 pair Xinwa-Fanghui.
One thing’s clear that Tang Jie-Ee Wei cannot afford to be complacent despite having won their previous two encounters against Xinwa-Fanghui at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters last year.
Both matches were tightly contested and went to rubber games, and this time, the Chinese pair will also have the advantage of home support.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei have been enjoying a consistent run of form. Just last week, they reached the semi-finals of the Japan Open in Tokyo before falling to China’s Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin.
A month earlier in Jakarta, they also made it to the semi-finals of the Indonesian Masters, but were stopped by Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran.
