PETALING JAYA: Hoo Pang Ron admitted that the nerves got the better of him after he and Lai Pei Jing missed out on the chance to make history as the first Malaysian mixed doubles pair to win the China Masters.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing fell 19-21, 16-21 to home favourites and world No. 1 Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping in the final at the Shenzhen Arena yesterday.
It was another painful defeat for Pang Ron, who also lost to Yanzhe-Dongping in the 2024 final when he partnered Cheng Su Yin.
“I didn’t feel at my best at first and maybe I was a little too nervous. But after playing a few points, we got used to the environment and everything, and it got better,” said Pang Ron.
The Malaysians managed to keep pace with their opponents in the opening game, but Yanzhe-Dongping raised their level in the second and quickly opened up a sizeable lead.
“Maybe they became more confident and their game was more solid in the second game. We were still trying to find ways to overcome the changes they made, but maybe it was a little too late.
“Hopefully, this gives us another target and shows us what we need to improve on,” added Pang Ron.
Since the China Masters was first held in 2005, Malaysia have yet to produce a champion in any event.
However, the mixed doubles have provided a finalist in each of the last three editions, including Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who finished runners-up last year.
For Pei Jing, the runners-up finish meant her wait for another title continues, having last won the Korean Open with Tan Kian Meng in 2022.
However, she preferred to focus on the positives from their run in Shenzhen.
The China Masters was only Pang Ron-Pei Jing’s sixth tournament together since they started their partnership in May and their first outing as a pair in three months.
“Overall, I’m happy with our performance here. Even when we had negative thoughts, we managed to refocus and tried to fight our way back into the match.
“I think that is a very good mindset for us and hopefully we can keep this momentum going into the next tournament,” said Pei Jing.
The encouraging run has also strengthened their belief that they can challenge for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics when the qualification period begins in May next year.
“Of course, we are looking forward to fighting for the Olympics. That is our ultimate goal. We will go step by step and try not to put too much pressure on ourselves. Most importantly, we want to enjoy the game,” added Pei Jing.
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Jason Gunawan (Hkg) bt Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hkg) 21-9, 21-16.
Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind) bt He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu (Chn) 11-21, 21-13, 21-17.
Women’s singles: An Se-young (Kor) bt Tomoka Miyazaki (Jpn) 21-17, 21-6
Women’s doubles: Sumire Nakade-Miyu Takahashi (Jpn) bt Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan (Chn) 21-18, 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing (Mas) 21-19, 21-16.
Semi-finals
Men’s doubles: He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu (Chn) bt Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King (Mas) 23-21, 17-21, 21-17; Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind) bt Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) 21-16, 18-21, 21-11.
