PETALING JAYA: Independent mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing are one win away from reaching the Macau Open final, but standing in their way are top seeds Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin of China in today’s semi-finals.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing, who only joined forces in May, booked their place in the last four after beating South Korea’s Cho Song-hyun-Jeong Na-eun 21-11, 21-13 in the quarter-finals at the Macau East Asian Games Dome yesterday.
“We played match by match without putting pressure on ourselves. We are still trying to find our best way of playing together as a team, so we will keep trying different things on court,” said Pang Ron.
The victory was especially sweet for Pang Ron as it marked his best result of the year after suffering a string of early exits.
The last time he reached a final was at the China Masters two years ago with Cheng Su Yin, where they finished runners-up.
“Of course I feel happy. It’s been a tough journey for me. But there is another match today, so we need to stay focused and keep fighting,” he added.
However, overcoming the top seeds will be no easy task despite Zhenbang-Yaxin not having played together since the All-England in March.
Pang Ron has struggled against the Chinese pair in the past, losing four of his five previous meetings against them when he partnered Su Yin.
Pei Jing also has a poor record against Zhenbang-Yaxin, having lost all five of her previous meetings with the Chinese pair alongside Tan Kian Meng.
However, the experienced shuttler will draw confidence from her run to the final of last year’s edition with Jimmy Wong.
RESULTS
(Malaysians only)
Quarter-finals
Mixed doubles: Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing bt Cho Song-hyun-Jeong Na-eun (Kor) 21-11, 21-13.
Second round
Men’s singles: Eogene Ewe bt Cheam June Wei 21-15, 21-15.
Men’s doubles: Chia Wei Jie-Teo Ee Yi bt Hu Kean-Lin Xiangyi (Chn) 23-25, 21-16, 21-13.
