PETALING JAYA: World No. 6 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun will need more than their usual grit to defend their Indonesian Masters men’s doubles title when they face familiar rivals Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza in today’s quarter-finals.
Istora Senayan may hold no fear for Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who lifted the title here last year and finished runners-up at the Indonesian Open the year before.
But Sabar-Moh have had the upper hand in recent encounters, winning five of their six previous meetings, including all four clashes last year at the Thailand SEA Games semi-finals and the World Tour Finals group stage in Hangzhou.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun reached the quarter-finals after defeating Hariharan Amsakarunan-M.R. Arjun of India 21-17, 9-21, 21-16 in the second round yesterday.
Last year they beat fellow Malaysians – Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King (quarter-finals), Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (semi-finals), before silencing home crowd with win against Indonesians Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto (final).
In the women’s doubles, last year’s runners-up Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah ousted Taiwan’s Lin Xiao-in-Wang Yu-qiao 21-13, 21-12 in the second round to enter the last eight, where they will face either Japan’s Kaho Osawa-Mai Tanabe or South Korea’s Kim Yu-jung-Lee Yu-lim.
World champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are through to the last eight but will face a unique challenge against Indonesia-Singapore pairing of Terry Hee-Gloria Widjaja.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei had little trouble advancing after dispatching Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-12, 21-18.
The biggest surprise for the national camp came from women’s singles shuttler K. Letshanaa, who sent world No. 12 Michelle Li of Canada packing with a convincing 21-14, 21-14 win.
But Letshanaa cannot afford to take her quarter-final opponent lightly, as she takes on Huang Yu-shun of Taiwan, who also caused an upset by eliminating world No. 7 Puteri Kusuma of Indonesia 21-17, 19-21, 21-17.
Letshanaa last faced Yu-shun three years ago at the Indonesian Masters, with the encounter going the way of the Taiwanese player.
