Lucknow: Hoo Pang Ron/Cheng Su Yin edge closer to clinching their second consecutive title, securing a spot in the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships semi-finals in Lucknow on Friday.
In their third tournament together, the mixed doubles pair triumphed over the Taiwanese duo Chang Ko Chi/Lee Chih Chen with a 23-21, 21-15 victory in a 37-minute quarter-final showdown. Their next challenge awaits in the semi-finals against the fifth-seeded Japanese duo, Yuki Kaneko/Misaki Matsutomo, with a chance to secure a spot in the final.
Having recently claimed their first title as a pair at the Malaysia International Challenge in Ipoh, Perak, two weeks ago, Hoo/Cheng’s impressive performance signals a promising journey for the duo in the competitive badminton circuit.
In contrast, the men’s doubles team of Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal Nazri advanced to the semi-finals without breaking a sweat, as their compatriots Yap Roy King/Wan Arif Wan Junaidi withdrew from the quarter-final due to Yap’s injury.
However, not all Malaysian representatives fared as well, with Wong Ling Ching exiting the women’s singles competition after a hard-fought battle against Taiwanese player Wen Chi Hsu, ending 21-19, 17-21, 15-21. In the men’s singles category, national professional player Soong Joo Ven faced defeat at the hands of French player Alex Lanier, concluding with a scoreline of 16-21, 17-21.
