Hangzhou: Malaysia’s world no. 8 mixed pair, Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei, revived their chances of reaching the knockout stage in the BWF World Tour Finals by surprising the world No. 2 Japanese pair, Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino, in the second match of Group A in Hangzhou, China.
Highlights of Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei vs. Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino in the second Group A match of the 2023 BWF World Tour Finals:
After losing the first set 12-21, Chen/Toh mounted a sensational comeback, winning the next two sets 21-16, 21-16 in a 61-minute battle at the Hangzhou Olympic Gymnasium.
Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei talk to Chinese media after the match (in Mandarin):
This marked the first victory for the world’s eighth-ranked pair over Watanabe-Higashino in three meetings.
Chen/Toh now faces the crucial task of defeating the Thai pair, Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai, in the last group action tomorrow to secure their spot in the knockout stage.
Based on their meeting history, the Thai opponents have won two out of three matches against Chen/Toh, with the last encounter being in the second round of the Denmark Open last October.
Chen/Toh started the World Tour Finals with a setback, losing the first group match to the Chinese duo Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping 10-21, 13-21 on Wednesday.
In men’s doubles, Malaysia’s world No. 3 pair Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik need a miracle to reach the knockout stage.
Chia/Soh must secure a straight-set victory against the world No. 1 Chinese pair, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, in the final Group A match on Friday.
Simultaneously, Chia/Soh also would hope that the Japanese pair, Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, loses to another Chinese pair, Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi, who have already confirmed their semi-final ticket with two wins.
Chia/Soh found themselves in a challenging situation after suffering their second loss in the group stage, bowing out to Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi with a score of 21-19, 18-21, 20-22.
“I believe our performance today was good, but luck was not on our side. Although we took the lead in the second set, we made many simple mistakes afterward. Our opponents were clearer about their intentions,” said Aaron Chia after the match.
Meanwhile, Soh viewed the two defeats in the group stage of this campaign as valuable lessons.
“Of course, we learn from every match, especially against the world’s top pair, who will be our opponents in the future. It was a useful experience for us,” he remarked.
