KUALA LUMPUR – More upsets are happening at the Malaysia Open, and this time it is the four-time defending champions and mixed-doubles world number ones Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong of China who have fallen in the quarter-finals today.
The tournament’s top seeds took on seventh-seeds Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun and were defeated 21-11, 18-21, 21-17 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Going into the match, the pairs’ head-to-head records were tied at 2-2, but Siwei said that Won-ho’s tricky shots made life difficult for them.
“They are a very solid pair and don’t make mistakes easily, so it was hard to get points against them.
“Won-ho’s timing shift and how he catches the shuttle is quite distinctive, and that gave us a lot of trouble.
“We have to watch footage of the match and prepare a different strategy for them for future meetings,” said Yaqiong.
She added that after playing each other a few times, she and Siwei had gained some understanding of each other’s style.
“We will also implement some targeted tactical methods.
“We hope to continue researching and discovering more strategies to handle situations on the field more effortlessly,” she said.
At the same time, Siwei added that not being able to add a fifth Malaysia Open title was disappointing.
“We hoped to have performed better here because we have consistently played well in Malaysia.
“It’s a bit unfortunate. We had a chance today. We wanted to showcase a good performance here.
“Losing is beyond our control; all we can do is come back stronger next time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Na-eun said that they wanted a fresh start for the new year and entered the match with a learning mindset.
“We wanted to challenge them because they are the world’s top pair. We are very happy with the win; it is a huge motivation booster for us.
“The fans cheering for them didn’t affect us; we understand they are the world number one pair.
“We are motivated to perform well and want to emulate the success that Siwei-Yaqiong have achieved,” she said.
Won-ho added that he wanted to win the Malaysia Open but was not looking beyond the semi-finals tomorrow. – January 12, 2024