Striking: Chen Tang Jie (right) smashes back to France’s Thom Gicque-Delphine Delrue as his partner Toh Ee Wei looks on. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Their fresh and matching orange hairdos proved to be a winning combo as national mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei cruised into the Malaysian Open second round in style.
The world No. 9 duo made quick work of France’s Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue, closing out their opening round match 21-17, 21-18 in 47 minutes at the Axiata Arena.
Having lost their previous meeting with the world No. 11, Tang-Jie-Ee Wei feel that their preparations coming into the season opener has paid off with this win.
They last went head to head at the China Open last year, where Gicquel-Delrue overpowered the Malaysian pair in the semi-finals.
‘’It’s a new year and everyone is focused on doing well at the first tournament of the season,’’ said Tang Jie.
‘’It’s very special for us because we get to start the year right here at home in front of our home fans, and we know that Malaysian fans are the best in the world.’’
Keeping a cool head even with the striking orange hair, Ee Wei said the key to winning their opening round was to avoid overthinking.
‘’It hasn’t been easy even with the win, but we have been preparing hard for the past couple of weeks,’’ said the 23-year-old.
‘’Even though we might butt heads in disagreement during training, it’s all about supporting and believing in each other on court.
‘’There is always room for improvement, but we were very confident going into the match, which allowed us to be brave and daring in taking shots.”
S-t-r-e-t-c-h: Chan Peng Soon reaches for the shuttle as Cheah Yee See struggles to get back on her feet. — Bernama
Meanwhile, it was also a good result for the other remaining mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See, who clawed their way back from a game down to beat Taiwanese pair Chang Ko-chi-Lee Chih-chen 11-21, 26-24, 21-8.
Playing his final Malaysian Open as he plans to retire later this year, Peng Soon shared his feelings about playing in front of the loud Malaysian fans.
“Even though we were hesitant and indecisive in the first game, the fans still kept cheering us on, so we had to keep going for them.
“I really enjoyed the match today, the fans have been following us for so long and I can see the undying support from them,” said the 35-year-old.
Peng Soon-Yee See will now face China’s Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin in the second round for their chance to progress to the quarter-finals.
