Taipei: Malaysia’s World No. 19 mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei lived up to expectations as they breezed through the first round of the Taipei Open comfortably on Wednesday. Seeded fourth in the tournament, they secured their spot in the next round by defeating Koceila Mammeri/Tanina Violette Mammeri from Algeria 21-12, 21-11.
Highlights of Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei vs. Koceila Mammeri/Tanina Violette Mammeri in the 2023 Taipei Open first round:
After the match, Toh expressed her gratitude for being included in the Road to Gold (RTG) program created by the Malaysian government aimed at supporting Malaysian athletes to win Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Toh also extended her thanks to the President of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Mohamad Norza Zakaria, for placing trust in them. She stated that they would continue to work hard and strive for excellent results, particularly with the aim of securing a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Their focus remained unwavering as they approached each match.
Chen/Toh will face World No. 39 Ruttanapak Oupthong/Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat of Thailand next.
In another impressive display, another Malaysian mixed pair – World No. 41 Hoo Pang Ron/Teoh Mei Xing also advanced to the second round. They overcame local pair – Lee Fang-chih/Sun Wen Pei 21-13, 21-11. Their next opponents will be World No. 57 Kim Young Hyuk/Lee Yu Lim of Korea.
Unfortunately, luck did not favor two other Malaysian mixed doubles pairs. Chan Peng Soon/Cheah Yee See, as well as Wong Tien Ci/Lim Chiew Sien, were unable to progress after suffering defeats against their respective opponents in the first round.
In men’s singles, World No. 57 Leong Jun Hao was forced to work hard by India’s World No. 48 Kiran George before beating the Indian 22-20, 12-21, 21-9. Leong will play World No. 23 Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo of Indonesia in the second round. In their only career head-to-head, Leong defeated Wardoyo in the 2019 Malaysia International Challenge quarter-finals 21-14, 21-15.
Another Malaysian men’s singles player, World No. 139 Yeoh Seng Zoe demonstrated resilience as he bounced back from a first-set loss to secure his place in the second round. He emerged victorious with a score of 17-21, 21-12, 21-19 against Taiwan’s World No. 94 Lin Kuan-Ting. Yeoh’s next challenge will be Japan’s sixth-seeded Kanta Tsuneyama.
