Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysia Masters 2023 commenced with an electrifying atmosphere on Tuesday as local fans rejoiced over the success of four Malaysian pairs in the opening round.
Highlights of Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik vs. Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan in 2023 Malaysia Masters first round:
Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, Malaysia’s World No. 2 men’s doubles pair, faced a formidable challenge from Indonesia’s Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan, the reigning champions of the 2023 SEA Games. The intense battle lasted 55 minutes, with Chia and Wooi Yik prevailing in a hard-fought victory of 21-18, 10-21, 23-21.
Their upcoming opponents in the second round will be South Korea’s Choi Sol Gyu/Kim Won Ho, who emerged victorious against Christo Popov/Toma Junior Popov of France in another first-round match, securing a score of 24-22, 21-10.
Reflecting on their performance, Soh acknowledged that they momentarily lost focus during the second game when the Indonesians altered their tactics, allowing their opponents to push the match into a decisive set. Despite committing a few errors, they regrouped in the third game, demonstrating resilience and denying easy points to their opponents.
In a separate men’s doubles match, professional Malaysian pair Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi triumphed over the Chinese duo of Ren Xiang Yu/Tan Qiang, prevailing with a score of 21-16, 21-18. They secured a spot in the second round and are now preparing to face Taiwan’s Lu Ching Yao/Yang Po Han, who defeated Ruben Jille and Ties Van Der Lecq from the Netherlands, scoring 21-17, 21-15.
Highlights of Oong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi vs. Ren Xiang Yu/Tan Qiang in 2023 Malaysia Masters first round:
After the match, Ong was satisfied with their gameplay, as it proved effective in overcoming the Chinese pair. Teo also emphasized that they would not underestimate the upcoming challenge from Lu/Yang, despite their previous victory over them in the third group match of the Sudirman Cup, where the Malaysian pair emerged triumphant with a score of 21-8, 23-21.
In a surprising turn of events, the unseeded pair of Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun caused an upset by eliminating the seventh-seeded Danish duo, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, with a score of 25-23, 21-16. They now await their opponents in the second round, who will either be Alexander Dunn/Adam Hall from Scotland or Malaysia’s Tan Kian Meng/Tan Wee Kiong.
Shifting the focus to the women’s category, the national doubles pair Pearly Tan/M. Thinaah began their campaign on a positive note by defeating Bulgarian twins Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva in straight sets, achieving a score of 21-17, 21-15. Ranked World No. 11, Tan and Thinaah will now face the Japanese duo of Rena Miyaura/Ayako Sakuramoto, who secured a victory over England’s Chloe Birch/Lauren Smith with a score of 21-12, 21-8.
Pearly expressed delight in avenging their previous loss to the Stoeva sisters during the early rounds of the 2023 Malaysia Open in January. She is determined to maintain their winning momentum as they prepare to face the Japanese pair in the next round.
However, the journey of professional women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo and Lim Chiew Sien in the tournament was abruptly halted as they failed to progress to the next round, succumbing to Denmark’s Maiken Fruergaard/Sara Thygesen with a score of 13-21, 18-21.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed doubles pair – Chan Peng Soon/Cheah Yee See has qualified for the main draw and will play Korea’s No. 7 seeds Kim Won Ho/Jeong Na Eun on Wednesday.
