Getting serious: Chen Tang Jie (left) and Toh Ee Wei in action against China’s Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui during the quarter-final match of the China Masters. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei have turned the China Masters into a magical outing with a rare superb comeback win.
The duo are known for their fighting spirit on court but yesterday, they took their dogged determination to another level when they staged an impossible turnaround from 11-20 to reach the semi-finals at the Shenzhen Gymnasium.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei had looked dead and buried when they trailed 11-20 in the second game against world No. 13 homesters Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui but the duo refused to give up and saved a total of 10 match points to force a deuce and come away with a 14-21, 23-21, 21-16 victory.
The homesters Xinwa-Fanghui had looked unstoppable after winning the first game and taking a 12-1 lead in the second.
World No. 10 Tang Jie-Ee Wei tried to close the gap but the Chinese pair kept their foot on the gas and were on the brink of victory when the former staged a remarkable comeback to leave the home fans in disbelief.
The miraculous victory was reminiscent of Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s comeback from 13-20 behind in the third game to beat China’s Lin Dan 21-18, 18-21, 23-21 in the 2006 Malaysian Open final in Kuching.
Ee Wei was thrilled with the win and called it a special victory for her and Tang Jie.
“This is a special win for us. It’s not easy to come back from 11-20. We learned a lot from this. We need to fight until the last point in our matches moving forward,” said Ee Wei in a post match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“Usually, we will not be able to fightback and get through after trailing like this. We did really well and I hope we can continue this momentum.”
Tang Jie said: “We tried to find a solution when we were behind 1-12 in the second game because they were more consistent and confident.
“That helped them win the first game and lead in the second. For my partner and I, we tried to make it more difficult for them to get points.”
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will next take on world No. 2 and home favourites Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping for a place in the final.
Based on the head-to-head records, Yanzhe-Dongping have a slight advantage as they have beaten Tang Jie-Ee Wei thrice in their past five meetings.
Meanwhile, it was also a great day for Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin after they made it into their maiden World Tour Super 750 semi-final.
World No. 23 Pang Ron-Su Yin needed only 31 minutes to beat Taiwan’s world No. 33 Chen Cheng-kuan-Hsu Yin-hui 21-10, 21-16.
The former though are not celebrating just yet as they have set their sights on reaching another milestone when they face Hong Kong’s world No. 7 Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet next.
“We still have another round coming up. We hope to keep our focus,” said Pang Ron.
“The Hong Kong pair are in the top 10 and the pressure is on them. We will just go in there and fight hard.”
Pang Ron-Su Yin toppled Chun Man-Ying Suet in their only encounter so far in the Macau Open in September.
