PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei have a strong chance of securing at least a bronze medal at the Asian Championships when they face world No. 147 pair Kim Jae-hyeon–Jang Ha-jeong in the quarter-finals today.
On paper, the fourth seeds hold the advantage heading into the match.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei booked their place in the last eight after defeating India’s Dhruv Kapila–Tanisha Crasto 21–13, 21–14.
However, they cannot afford to take Jae-hyeon–Ha-jeong lightly, as the South Korean pair pulled off another upset by eliminating world No. 10 duo Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu 23–21, 20–22, 21–10 in the second round yesterday.
The Koreans had earlier enjoyed a slice of fortune, advancing after their first-round opponents, Hoo Pang Ron–Cheng Su Yin retired during the second game due to Pang Ron’s elbow injury.
Under the Asian Championships format, reaching the semi-finals guarantees at least a bronze medal.
“We hope to achieve that target, but our focus is on taking it one match at a time,” said Ee Wei to Badminton Asia.
However, it was disappointment for husband-and-wife pair Goh Soon Huat–Shevon Lai Jemie, who missed out on a quarter-final spot after going down 21–10, 15–21, 16–21 to Taiwan’s Chen Cheng-kuan–Hsu Yin-hui.
Wong Tien Ci–Lim Chiew Sien also exited the tournament after a tough outing against sixth seeds Guo Xinwa–Chen Fanghui, losing 8–21, 14–21 in 33 minutes.
Since making their debut in the 2023 edition, Tang Jie–Ee Wei have yet to reach the semi-finals.
In their first appearance in Dubai, they were eliminated in the second round by Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan–Melati Oktavianti. In the following edition in Ningbo, they suffered a first-round defeat to Zheng Siwei–Huang Yaqiong.
They did not compete last year due to internal issues that briefly saw the pair split.
