Tough opponents: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei were shown the exit by world No. 1 Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin of China. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei believe there are still plenty of lessons to take away from their Denmark Open campaign despite falling short of reaching the final.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei admitted they could not replicate their victory over world No. 1 Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin of China, whom they had beaten in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Paris last August.
Even so, the defeat was far from disappointing, as they gave everything before going down 17-21, 21-18, 18-21 in a 65-minute battle.
Their run to the semi-finals remains commendable, especially considering that Ee Wei had only recently recovered from an abdominal injury that kept her out of the Korean Open last month.
For Ee Wei, every match in the tournament was a valuable learning process for both her and Tang Jie as they look to strengthen their partnership.
“Of course, they are the world No. 1 pair right now, and we’re just trying to learn from all our opponents because we’re still not consistent enough.
“But we’ve improved in terms of our communication and mental strength on court. I think we can get even better, and we just need to keep learning from this,” said Ee Wei.
Tang Jie admitted that one of the main reasons behind their defeat in Odense was their inability to make the most of the crucial moments, which allowed their opponents to seize control and score vital points.
“I think we already gave our best, but maybe during the critical points, we couldn’t find the right opportunity to launch an attack, and that made the difference today. But overall, I think we gave our best,” said Tang Jie.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei could face the Chinese pair again if both pairs make it to the semi-finals of the French Open in Cesson-Sevigne starting on Tuesday.
Before that, the Malaysian duo will open their campaign against Taiwan’s Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang in the first round.
“I think this week is already over, and we’ll review our match to see what we can improve for the next tournament. We’ll start from zero again – it’s a new week and a new challenge,” said Ee Wei.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Women’s singles: An Se-young (Kor) Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) 16-21, 21-10, 21-9.
Women’s doubles: Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) bt Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto (Jpn) 21-15, 21-19.
Mixed doubles: Jiang Zhengbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (Mas) 21-17, 18-21, 21-18.
