KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Kong’s mixed doubles shuttler Tse Ying Suet may be 35 years old but she remains a dangerous opponent.
Ying Suet combined superbly with her 30-year-old partner Tang Chun Man to crush world champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei 21-17, 17-21, 21-10 in the Malaysian Open quarter-finals.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei came into the match with a 2-1 advantage over world No. 8 Ying Suet-Chun Man in the head-to-head records but could not find a way past their savvy opponents at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
The world No. 4 pair did well to come back to win the second game after a disappointing start but could not maintain their form in the decider and lost in 67 minutes.
The defeat was more painful to the home fans as it was masterminded by Malaysians and former national coaches Wong Choong Hann and Jeremy Gan.
Choong Hann is currently Hong Kong’s head coach while Jeremy is in charge of the mixed doubles.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei admitted that the Hong Kong pair executed their strategy better than them.
“After winning the second game, we were confident of taking the third as well but at the start of the game, I could not create enough attacking opportunities for us,” said Tang Jie.
“We did not do well in our service and receiving. The Hong Kong pair are very experienced and we could not adjust quickly when they changed their strategy.”
Ee Wei said: “We are definitely disappointed but this is sports. Sometimes, we win, sometimes we lose.
“We need to analyse where we went wrong. We really feel sorry for the fans. Right from the first day, the stadium was full. They came to support us but we could not win.”
The defeat meant that Tang Jie-Ee Wei’s hopes of making it into back-to-back semi-finals in the home Open were dashed.
Malaysia’s challenge in the mixed doubles is over after the pair’s exit.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will next turn their attention to the Indian Open which starts on Tuesday in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Chun Man-Ying Suet will next take on China’s world No. 1 Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping for a place in the final.
