Hong Kong: The opening day of the Hong Kong Open Super 500 witnessed intense on-court battles with the Malaysian squad experiencing a blend of triumphs and setbacks.
Malaysia’s women’s doubles World No. 10 Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan experienced a nail-biting encounter, narrowly edging past the formidable Germany’s World No. 34 Linda Efler/Isabel Lohau in a pulsating three-game match. Despite the spirited challenge posed by Efler/Lohau, the Malaysian pair, seeded sixth, managed to secure their win with scores of 21-10, 16-21, 21-14 in a game that lasted 54 minutes. Awaiting them in the round of 16 are either compatriots Anna Ching Yik Cheong/Teoh Mei Xing or the duo from Chinese Taipei, Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun.
Highlights of Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan vs. Linda Efler/Isabel Lohau in the 2023 Hong Kong Open first round:
However, the day wasn’t as kind to Malaysia’s men’s pair Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi. Fans watched in disbelief as the World No. 8 pair, despite saving four match points, fell to the World No. 27 Japanese pair of Keiichiro Matsui/Yoshinori Takeuchi, in a closely contested match with final scores of 16-21, 23-25. As Matsui/Takeuchi set their eyes on the next round, they’re slated to clash with World No. 21 Pramudya Kusumawardana
Yeremia/Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan of Indonesia.
Highlights of Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi vs. Keiichiro Matsui/Yoshinori Takeuchi in the 2023 Hong Kong Open first round:
Malaysia’s men’s doubles continued to suffer when the Junaidi Arif/Yap Roy King bowed out to the seasoned Indonesian tandem, often referred to as the “the Daddies” and World No. 10 Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan. While the Malaysians began with promise, securing the first game 21-15, they couldn’t sustain the momentum, succumbing to the same scores of 16-21 in the subsequent two games. This marks the second occasion this year that Arif/Yap have been shown the exit in the initial round. However, Setiawan/Ahsan, with this win, marched into the round of 16, eager to take on the World No. 40 duo from Chinese Taipei, Chiu Hsiang Chieh/Yang Ming-tse.
