Tokyo: In an exciting development, Malaysia’s mixed doubles coach, Nova Widianto, is confident that his proteges, World No. 14 Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, have what it takes to take on the world’s top-ranked pair from China, Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong. The much-anticipated clash is set to take place in the second round of the Japan Open on Thursday.
Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei made an impressive start to their campaign, effortlessly securing their spot in the top 16 group. They secured a victory over the Dutch pair, World No. 9 Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek, with a convincing score of 21-15, 21-18 during the first round at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Highlights of Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei vs. Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek in the 2023 Japan Open first round:
Their formidable opponents, Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong, who are three-time world champions, displayed their dominance by defeating the Japanese pair, Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito, with a commanding score of 21-8, 21-13 in the first round.
This will mark the first time Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei lock horns with Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong in their quest for a place in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Japan Open.
Reflecting on the previous match, Coach Widianto acknowledged that Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei’s game still has room for improvement. However, he noted that the Dutch pair found it challenging to cope with their style of play.
Looking ahead to the upcoming encounter with the Chinese pair, Coach Widianto emphasized the importance of confidence for Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei. He believes that they must firmly believe in their ability to defeat the world’s number-one doubles team. Without confidence, winning against such formidable opponents will prove difficult.
In other notable performances, the World No. 11 women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, faced a tough battle against the Chinese pair, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning. Eventually, they emerged victorious with a hard-fought scoreline of 21-11, 9-21, 21-19, securing their place in the second round.
Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan have maintained an unbeaten record against their opponents, having previously defeated them at the 2023 Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in February.
In the next round, Tan and Muralitharan are slated to face the winners of the match between the world number one pair from China, Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan, and the Canadian pair, Catherine Choi and Josephine Wu. Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan’s first-round match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
It’s worth mentioning that Tan and Muralitharan had suffered a loss to Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan during the second round of the Korea Open last week, where the latter pair went on to win the championship.
Meanwhile, another Malaysian mixed doubles duo, Chan Peng Soon and Cheah Yee See, displayed their exceptional skill by defeating the French representatives, World No. 7 Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, 21-18, 21-18, 21-18, advancing to the second round. They are now set to face the Thai pair, Supaj Jomkoh and Supissara Paewsampiran.
In the men’s doubles category, World No. 6 Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi overcame World No. 30 Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar with a scoreline of 21-15, 21-18, booking a match against Taiwan’s Tokyo Olympics champions, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, in the second round.
