PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are still trying to rediscover their rhythm and confidence.
A week after losing in the Malaysian Open quarter-finals, the reigning world champions suffered another setback when they went down to China’s Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi in the Indian Open first round.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei struggled to raise their game and were surprisingly beaten 16-21, 19-21 in 40 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi yesterday.
It was the world No. 3 pair’s first defeat to world No. 16 Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi after coming out on top in their sole encounter previously in the 2024 Korean Open.
Tang Jie said that he and Ee Wei were still trying to regain their rhythm and self-belief after the disappointing start to the year.
“Just like in the Malaysian Open, we are trying to figure out how to get back our rhythm on court,” Tang Jie told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“In the match today (yesterday), we already gave our best. Definitely, our opponents did well to get the win. We just want to regain our confidence. We also need to make our game plan more solid.”
The defeat meant that Tang Jie-Ee Wei have suffered an early exit for the first time since going down in the Singapore Open second round in May last year.
The pair reached at least the quarter-finals in 12 consecutive individual tournaments before seeing their run come to an end in India.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will be keen to regain their best form as soon as possible and get their season back on track.
The duo, who will compete in the Indonesian Masters next Tuesday in Jakarta, will open their campaign against a qualifier.
