KUALA LUMPUR – Independent men’s doubles shuttlers Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi emerged as Malaysia’s sole remaining representatives in the Kumamoto Masters Japan by progressing to the semi-finals.
The duo secured their advancement after defeating Chinese Taipei’s Lee Fang-chih and Lee Fang-jen in the quarter-finals at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium today.
The 43-minute match witnessed the world number 12 pair overcoming the resistance of the world number 25-ranked Chinese Taipei shuttlers, winning in straight sets with a score of 21-19, 21-16.
In tomorrow’s match, the Malaysians will face China’s world number eights Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyii, who earlier secured a spot in the semi-finals by defeating Japan’s Akira Koga and Taichi Saito 21-19, 21-13.
Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah ended their journey in the quarter-finals after a defeat to Japan’s world number 14 pair, Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto.
The world number 13 Malaysians were no match for the Japanese, falling 13-21, 18-21 in a 43-minute match.
Malaysia’s disappointing run continued in the mixed doubles as Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei were defeated by China’s Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong.
The world number 10 pair lost 14-21, 14-21 in straight sets against the top-seeded Chinese shuttlers in a 35-minute match.
In another mixed doubles match, Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing were unable to maintain their fine form as they succumbed to Japan’s world number two pair, Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino.
Despite a fiercely contested match lasting 40 minutes, the Malaysians, ranked 21st in the world, could not keep up with their opponents’ dominance. The 15-21, 16-21 result marked their seventh defeat to the Japanese pair in 10 meetings.
Watanabe-Higashino’s next challenge will be against China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in tomorrow’s semi-finals. – November 17, 2023