PETALING JAYA: It was deja vu for Hoo Pang Ron as he reached the China Masters final once again, only this time with new partner Lai Pei Jing.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing pulled off an upset by sweeping aside China’s world No. 28 Zhu Yijun-Li Qian 21-12, 21-10 in just 34 minutes in the semi-finals at the Shenzhen Arena yesterday.
Pang Ron had also made the final in the 2024 edition with former partner Cheng Su Yin after they upset experienced Hong Kong pair Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet in the semi-finals.
And the similarities do not end there.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing will face world No. 1 Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping in the final today, the same pair who denied Pang Ron and Su Yin the title two years ago.
“For me, it’s a different type of feeling because it’s two different partners.
“So, I mean, it’s one of my achievements also. But hopefully, in the final, we can do well also,” said Pang Ron in a post-match interview with BWF.
Pang Ron also believes their three-month break from competition has worked in their favour, with the pair making full use of the time on the training court after last competing at the Macau Open in June.
“Of course, it does help because we have a long period of training. And also, our coaches and our team helped us a lot,” he added.
Pei Jing was delighted to reach the final, knowing that beating Yijun-Li Qian in front of the home crowd was never going to be easy.
“I think we knew it wouldn’t be an easy game, so we just focused on every single point,” said Pei Jing.
It will be Pang Ron-Pei Jing’s first final since they began their partnership in May.
However, Pang Ron-Pei Jing know they face a tough task against Yanzhe-Dongping, with the world No. 1 pair reaching their fifth consecutive final since the Australian Open in June.
During that three-month stretch, the Chinese pair have won the Australian Open and Japan Open, while they also claimed the silver medal at the World Championships in New Delhi two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, husband-and-wife pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie went down 11-21, 22-24 to world No. 1 Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping.
Despite the defeat, Soon Huat-Shevon were pleased with their run to the last four, having not reached a semi-final since the Indian Open in January last year.
“I think it means a lot to us because we can see much improvement from both of us.
“And I think we will keep going and train harder,” said Soon Huat in a post-match interview with BWF.
