PETALING JAYA: Professional mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing advanced to the second round of the French Open on Wednesday (Oct 21).
The world No. 31 pair dropped the first game but rallied to upset China’s world No. 21 duo Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying in a 14-21, 21-15, 21-15 victory in 46 minutes at the Arena Grand Paris.
The win continued a strong run of form for the Malaysians, who recently climbed 20 places in the world rankings following their semi-final exit at the Denmark Open last week.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing will next face Taiwan’s Liu Kuangheng-Hsu Yin-hui in the second round. The world No. 23 Taiwanese pair also advanced after a narrow upset, defeating Thailand’s fifth-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran 21-13, 22-24, 22-20.
Meanwhile, Goh Soon Huat-Lai Shevon Jemie were eliminated in the opening round following a hard-fought upset against Germany’s Marvin Seidel-Thuc Phuong Nguyen.
Despite entering the tournament as the world No. 9 and securing the opening game 21-17, the Malaysian duo were unable to close out the match.
The German underdogs rallied to take the next two games, ultimately prevailing 17-21, 21-15, 22-20.
With this victory, the world No. 27 German pair advanced to the second round, where they will face a formidable challenge against China’s second seeds, Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin.
