JAKARTA: Malaysian badminton players had mixed fortunes at the Indonesia Open as two doubles pairs advanced to the semi-finals while two other pairs had disappointing performances in their quarter-final matches.
Mixed doubles duo Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing, ranked 21st in the world, put up a brilliant show to defeat South Korea’s eighth seed Kim Won Ho-Jeong Na Eun 21-8, 21-19 at Istora Senayan.
The duo will now face world No. 5 Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin of China, who defeated Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping 21-17, 11-21, 21-16 in an all-Chinese affair.
“The first set was surprisingly easy and we seized every opportunity to score points. The second set was a little tough as they started playing well but we managed to scrape through after focusing on our own momentum,” said the duo after the match.
The world No. 20 men’s doubles duo Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun confidently advanced to the semi-finals after knocking out Taiwanese Tan Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han 21:17, 18:21, 21:10 and now face local favourite pair of Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.
In men’s singles, top player Lee Zii Jia failed to advance to the quarter-finals after losing in straight sets 21-16, 21-17 to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
“The result was certainly disappointing. Kunlavut had good defensive shots and that made it difficult for me to beat him,” said Zii Jia, who wants to quickly erase his bitter moments in Jakarta and prepare for the Australian Open.
Rising star Leong Jun Hao’s forceful act ended when he lost to Asian Games champion Li Shi Feng of China 11-21, 12-21.
Men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and women’s doubles duo Pearly Tan-M.Thinaah also returned home.
