KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, known for their playful habit of changing hair colours during tournaments, appear to have adopted a more serious approach following their quarter-final appearance at the Paris Olympics.
Now ranked ninth in the world, they are focusing more on their on-court performance.
Earlier today, Tang Jie and Ee Wei advanced to the quarter-finals of the Korea Open in Seoul by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang-heng and Jheng Yu-chieh 21-16, 21-19 in the second round.
This victory marks their second consecutive quarter-final appearance, following their top-eight finish at the Japan Open last week.
“Overall, we still have areas to improve, like losing focus whenever our opponents win a point.
“However, my partner (Ee Wei) played really well today, and that helped us secure the win,” said Tang Jie to rights holders SpoTV after the match.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei will next face their fellow Malaysians, independent pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai.
Regarding their upcoming match, Tang Jie added: “We are excited to face them, but more importantly, we are focused on our game and strengths.”
When asked about their hair colour changes which have caught fans’ attention, Ee Wei responded: “We don’t really think about that anymore, it’s not important. We are more focused on our game.”
Meanwhile, it was the end of the road for another Malaysian mixed doubles pair, former champions Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing, who lost 14-21, 21-16, 21-14 to Chinese Taipei’s Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang.
In women’s doubles, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, who recently climbed to number nine in the world rankings, reached their second consecutive quarter-finals after their Japan Open appearance.
They defeated Chinese Taipei’s Nicole Gonzales Chan and Lin Chih-chun 21-23, 21-12, 21-12 in the second round.
Pearly and Thinaah, who made history by becoming the first Malaysian women’s doubles team to reach the Olympic semi-finals earlier this month, will next play against the winner of the match between China’s Keng Shu Liang and Zhang Shu Xian, and Chinese Taipei’s Teng Chun-hsun and Yang Chu-yun. – August 29, 2024