PETALING JAYA: Hoo Pang Ron-Teoh Mei Xing are out to reach the quarter-finals of a World Tour competition for the first time.
The national mixed doubles pair got off to a great start at the Taiwan Open by brushing aside homesters Lee Fang-chih-Sun Wen-pei 21-13, 21-11 in the first round at the Tian-mu Arena in Taipei yesterday.
Pang Ron-Mei Xing, who captured the lower-tier Maldives International Challenge title recently, had struggled to raise their performances in World Tour events since they were combined last December.
The duo, though, played with more confidence against Fang-chih-Wen-pei to claim the win.
“Although Pang Ron-Mei Xing did not face strong opponents today (yesterday), it was a good win for them to raise their confidence levels,” said mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto.
“I can see some improvement but I want more from them.
“They can do better by communicating well and continuing to play confidently.”
World No. 41 Pang Ron-Mei Xing will next face South Korea’s world No. 57 Kim Young-hyuk-Lee Yu-lim in the second round.
They will be joined by Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who also had an easy time against unheralded Algerians Kocelia Mammeri-Tanina Mammeri, winning 21-12, 21-11.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will play Thailand’s Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat next for a place in the last eight.
Independent pairs Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See and Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien, though, could not progress after suffering defeats to home pairs.
Peng Soon-Yee See went down 22-24, 12-21 to Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Lin Xiao-min while Tien Ci-Chiew Sien narrowly lost out 19-21, 21-23 to Ye Hong-wei-Lee Chia-hsin.
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, Leong Jun Hao overcame a second game setback to beat India’s Kiran George 22-20, 12-21, 21-9.
World No. 57 Jun Hao, though, has a tough task in the second round against Indonesia’s world No. 23 Chico Aura.
Independent duo Cheam June Wei and Yeoh Seng Zoe also made it into the second round.
June Wei and Seng Zoe both face uphill battles next against Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long and Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama respectively.
In the women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei’s woes continued when she fell to a disappointing 20-22, 15-21 defeat to homester and world No. 68 Huang Ching-ping.
It was world No. 30 Jin Wei’s sixth consecutive first-round loss in individual tournaments.
The 23-year-old had also suffered the same fate in the Asian Championships, Malaysian Masters and Opens in Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.
RESULTS
(Malaysians only)
First round
Men’s singles: Leong Jun Hao bt Kiran George (Ind) 22-20, 12-21, 21-9; Cheam June Wei bt Jeon Hyeok-jin (Kor) 23-21, 21-16; Yeoh Seng Zoe bt Lin Kuan-ting (Tpe) 17-21, 21-12, 21-19; Chan Yik Chak (Hkg) bt Soong Joo Ven 21-16, 21-14; Kenta Nishimoto (Jpn) bt Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin 21-13, 21-4.
Women’s singles: Huang Ching-ping (Tpe) bt Goh Jin Wei 22-20, 21-15.
Mixed doubles: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei bt Kocelia Mammeri-Tanina Mammeri (Alg) 21-12, 21-11; Hoo Pang Ron-Teoh Mei Xing bt Lee Fang-chih-Sun Wen-pei (Tpe) 21-13, 21-11; Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Lin Xiao-min (Tpe) bt Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See 24-22, 21-12; Ye Hong-wei-Lee Chia-hsin (Tpe) bt Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien 21-19, 23-21.
