Sydney: When Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong of Malaysia were eliminated by Taiwan’s Lee Sheng Mu/Tsai Chia Hsin 21-14, 10-21, 19-21 in the final 16 of last year’s world championships in Copenhagen, their fans were so devastated to say farewell to the Malaysian pair after the loss.
Nevertheless, Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong who resumed their partnership after turning professional last month, have put together a strong comeback at the 2015 Australian Open as they exacted revenge over Lee Sheng Mu/Tsai Chia Hsin in the second round of the Australian Open in Sydney on Thursday. After Lee Sheng Mu/Tsai Chia Hsin erased 2 points deficit to level at 14-14 in the first set, Koo/Tan held their nerves and upped their level to finish the game with 21-16. Koo/Tan continued to dominate with their aggressive play in the second set, the dynamic duo from Malaysia started to pull away from the Taiwanese pair after 13-13, beating the third seeds 21-18. Koo/Tan will take on Lu Xiaolong/Qiu Zihan of China in the quarter-finals.
In another men’s doubles match, 5th seeds Hiroyuki Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa rallied to beat Malaysia’s Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong in a three-set thriller 19-21 ,21-16, 21-16 in 57 minutes.
