PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will need to be wary of old foe Wei Yaxin and her new partner Gao Jiaxuan when they clash for a place in the semi-finals of the Malaysian Masters today.
Although only recently paired up, the Chinese duo have already shown encouraging form.
They have reached their second consecutive quarter-finals after also making the last eight at the Thailand Open last week.
Yaxin has proven to be a difficult opponent for Tang Jie-Ee Wei despite changing partners on several occasions.
Partnering Guo Xinwa, she beat Tang Jie-Ee Wei at the Hong Kong Open three years ago.
With her regular partner Jiang Zhenbang, she also won five of their previous eight meetings.
The pair were also runners-up in the Malaysian Masters last year.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei know that despite Yaxin featuring with a new partner this time, it will still be far from an easy task.
“They are a new partnership and they play aggressively. We have also played against them before, so we will be prepared,” said Ee Wei.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei booked their place in the quarter-finals after beating Indonesia’s Amri Syahnawi-Nita Marwah 21-19, 22-20, while Jiaxuan-Yaxin defeated Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh-Ornicha Jongsathaporn-parn 21-13, 21-13.
Malaysia missed the chance to have another representative in the quarter-finals after sixth seeds Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie lost 19-21, 21-7, 19-21 to Taiwan’s Wu Guan-xun-Lee Chia-hsin.
