KUALA LUMPUR – Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei have set such high expectations for themselves that reaching the quarter-finals of the Japan Open is simply not good enough for the national mixed doubles duo.
Despite putting in a decent performance today, the Malaysian world number nine pair were still knocked out in the last eight, following a 21-16, 21-18 defeat to China’s world number four pair Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin.
Zhen Bang and Ya Xin will play their compatriots Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi next.
Speaking to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Tang Jie said that he and Ee Wei cannot be satisfied with subpar results if they aim to become a world-class pair.
“We are disappointed because we came here to finish at the top. We don’t consider the quarter-finals as being good enough for us. We wanted more.
“It just wasn’t our best performance today. Our opponents were better and deserved the win.
“We need to keep working hard in training,” said Tang Jie, who, along with Ee Wei, also reached the quarter-finals at the recent Paris Olympics.
Separately, Ee Wei downplayed suggestions that the retirement and splitting up of other players and pairs after the Olympics might pave the way for her and Tang Jie to climb the ranks.
“It’s true that pairs have retired or split. But there will be new, strong ones coming up.
“That’s how it’s always been in badminton. We just have to stay on our toes and prepare ourselves to face these challengers in the best way possible,” Ee Wei explained.
When asked if they appreciated having a couple of days to rest before next week’s Korea Open, Tang Jie responded: “We don’t see it that way. We didn’t achieve what we came here for, so we can’t feel positive about this.”
Meanwhile, another Malaysian mixed doubles pair, Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing, were also knocked out in the quarter-finals after losing 18-21, 25-23, 21-9 to Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet.
Chun Man and Ying Suet will take on Taiwan’s Yang Po-Hsuan and Hu Ling Fang in the semi-finals. – August 23, 2024