PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing smashed their way to the semi-finals of the French Open after slaying giantkillers Marvin Seidel-Nguyen Thuc Phuong on Friday (Oct 23).
The world No. 27 German pair had previously eliminated ninth seeds Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, as well as Chinese second seeds Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin en route to the last eight match but their fine ran finally came to an end.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing turned on the power to beat the unseeded pair 21-18, 20-22, 21-17 in a nail-biting 57-minute victory at Arena Grand Paris.
The world No. 31 Malaysian pair will next face China’s sixth-seeded Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui in the semi-finals.
Guo-Chen advanced after upsetting third seeds Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje of Denmark 12-21, 21-9, 21-9.
Pang Ron was over the moon after reaching the second semi-finals in a row, having achieved the same at the Denmark Open last week.
"I'm happy. It's second consecutive semi-finals for me and I have never done this in my career, thanks to my partner but we will keep focusing for our next match," said Pang Ron.
