PETALING JAYA: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei made it a great day for Malaysia by reaching the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles event at the World Championships in Paris.
The world No. 4 Tang Jie-Ee Wei however, went the distance to join Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin, who had booked a quarter-final ticket earlier.
What was expected to be a straightforward encounter turned into a nail-biting battle as Tang Jie-Ee Wei battled their way to beat Indonesia’s Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu 14-21, 21-19, 21-17 in the third round on Thursday (Aug 28).
Playing at the Adidas Arena, Tang Jie-Ee Wei entered the match with the advantage of a higher ranking and the confidence of having beaten the world No. 11 pair in the second round of the Indonesian Masters in January.
But things did not go according to plan as the Malaysians fell behind in the opening game and had to weather fierce resistance, especially in the deciding set.
After 68 minutes of intense play, Tang Jie-Ee Wei finally sealed a hard-fought victory to book their place in the quarter-finals.
They will next face India’s Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto on Friday (Aug 29), who earlier upset Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet 19-21, 21-12, 21-15.
It will be the second time for Malaysia to have two mixed doubles pair in the quarter-finals after the edition in 2022 when Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie made it to the last eight.
