PETALING JAYA: National singles players Justin Hoh and Wong Ling Ching kept fans on the edge of their seats with thrilling wins to reach the second round of the Orleans Masters after upsetting seeded opponents.
Justin had to dig deep to beat fifth seed Chi Yu-jen of Taiwan 21-9, 14-21, 24-22 in a 61-minute opening-round match at the Palais des Sports in France on March 18 (Wednesday).
The Malaysian trailed 11-18 in the decider but mounted a strong comeback to notch his second win over the Taiwanese in their third meeting.
The 21-year-old Justin will face Su Li-yang of Taiwan next for a place in the quarter-finals.
He holds a strong record against Li-yang, having won their last four encounters, including a 21-17, 21-19 victory at the Thailand Masters.
However, Justin can expect another tough battle, with the Taiwanese players showing good form on the international stage of late.
The 22-year-old Ling Ching also came through a stern test, knocking out eighth seed Zhang Beiwen of the United States 21-19, 13-21, 23-21 in 53 minutes.
She was trailing 14-17 in the deciding game but turned the tide to beat Beiwen in their first international meeting.
Ling Ching will next take on India’s Malvika Bansod.
Another Malaysian K. Letshanaa was also dragged into a rubber game in the first round but she went down 21-15, 16-21, 9-21 to Taiwan's Pai Yu-po in 53 minutes.
