All the way: Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun will play home pair and world No. 15 Lu Ching-yao-Yang Po-han for the Taiwan Open crown.
PETALING JAYA: Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun have the potential to push Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi all the way in the race to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics if their performance in the Taiwan Open is anything to go by.
Defending champions Wei Chong-Kai Wun superbly came from behind to stun independent duo Yew Sin-Ee Yi 17-21, 21-19, 21-9 in an entertaining men’s doubles semi-final clash at the Tian Mu Arena in Taipei yesterday.
World No. 23 Wei Chong-Kai Wun played with aggression and intelligence to upstage world No. 6 Yew Sin-Ee Yi in their first meeting on the international stage.
The former led 11-10 in the first game but Yew Sin-Ee Yi managed to pull away to get the win.
It was another neck-and-neck battle in the second game but Wei Chong-Kai Wun stayed cool to pull off a narrow win.
The win must have pumped them up as they raced all the way in the decider to overcome a jaded-looking Yew Sin-Ee Yi and claim a memorable win.
All of Yew Sin-Ee Yi’s matches in the tournament had gone to three games and it clearly took their toll.
Mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto, who is overseeing the national players in the tournament said: “In terms of stamina, Wei Chong-Kai Wun were on top.
“In the first game, they seemed to lack a bit of confidence and made a few unforced errors but managed to recover and play better.”
Wei Chong-Kai Wun have now reached their second final of the year after finishing runners-up in the Malaysian Masters.
In the race to Paris, Yew Sin-Ee Yi hold the upper hand but Wei Chong-Kai Wun still have an opportunity to overtake the former if they can maintain their form.
A country can have a maximum of two pairs in the Olympics, provided both are ranked in the top eight when the qualification period ends at the end of April next year.
The other pair heading in the Paris race are world No. 4 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
In the final today, Wei Chong-Kai Wun will face home pair and world No. 15 Lu Ching-yao-Yang Po-han, who defeated teammates Lin Chia-yu-Lin Yong-sheng 21-16, 21-16 in another semi-final match.
Meanwhile, Malaysia will also have a representative in the mixed doubles final after Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei defeated homesters Ye Hong-wei-Lee Chia-hsin 21-14, 21-19.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will face Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Lin Xiao-min of Taiwan.
“I believe that Tang Jie-Ee Wei have a good opportunity to win,” said Nova.
“Their performances so far have been the best that I’ve seen from them.
“But they can’t afford to underestimate their opponents as they have shown that they are good enough to reach the final.” Men’s singles: Su Li-yang (Tpe) bt Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) 21-11, 21-15; Chico Aura (Ina) bt Wang Tzu-wei (Tpe) 21-6, 21-18.
Men’s doubles: Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (Mas) bt Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) 17-21, 21-19, 21-9; Lu Ching-yao-Yang Po-han (Tpe) bt Lin Chia-yu-Lin Yong-sheng (Tpe) 21-16, 21-16.
Women’s singles: Tai Tzu-ying (Tpe) bt Pornpicha Choeikeewong (Tha) 21-12, 21-16; Zhang Beiwen (US) bt Pitchamon Opatniputh (Tha) 21-18, 21-15.
Women’s doubles: Lee Yu-lim-Shin Seung-chan (Kor) bt Hung En-tzu-Lin Yu-pei (Tpe) 21-11, 21-9; Febriana Dwipuji-Amalia Cahaya (Ina) bt Lee Chia-hsin-Teng Chun-hsun (Tpe) 21-16, 21-19.
Mixed doubles: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (Mas) bt Ye Hong-wei-Lee Chia-hsin (Tpe) 21-14, 21-19; Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Lin Xiao-min (Tpe) bt Tseng Min-hao-Hsieh Pei-shan (Tpe) 21-10, 21-8.
