Jakarta: The Malaysian World No. 20 men’s doubles pair, Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun, achieved one of the biggest victories of their careers by defeating the reigning world champions and World No. 3 from South Korea, Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae to advance to the second round of the Indonesia Open.
Highlights of Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun vs. Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae in the 2024 Indonesia Open first round:
Man/Tee came back from a first-set loss to win 20-22, 21-16, 21-17 against Kang/Seo in the first-round match at Istora Senayan, Jakarta.
This marks the first time Man/Tee have beaten Kang/Seo, after losing in their previous two encounters – in the finals of the 2023 Malaysia Masters and the first round of the 2023 Korea Open.
“We are very happy with this victory as it is our biggest win in a Super 1000 tournament. We played very well in this match,” said Man.
“Previously, we lost twice but still put up a fight. This time, we had no pressure as underdogs,” added Man.
“Midway through the match, we discussed with each other and the coach, which helped us have a clearer mindset. We will prepare our best for the next match,” continued Man.
Notably, this is the first time Man/Tee have advanced past the first round of a Super 1000 tournament in two years of participation. They will face Denmark’s World No. 15 Rasmus Kjær/Frederik Søgaard in the second round.
Meanwhile, another Malaysian men’s doubles pair, Muhammad Haikal Nazri/Choong Hon Jian, experienced a different fate as they were knocked out in the first round of the Indonesia Open.
However, the young Malaysian pair put up a strong fight against the Olympic champions from Taiwan, Lee Yang/Wang Chi Lin, taking the match to a deciding set before losing 21-18, 16-21, 17-21.
The World No. 5 Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik also advanced and will play World No. 25 Lu Ching Yao/Yang Po Han of Taiwan in the second round.
