Malaysia's men's doubles players experienced a mixed opening day at the Korea Open, with French Open champions Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun recovering from a slow start to advance, while independent pair Chia Wei Jie and Teo Ee Yi produced an impressive upset over higher-ranked Chinese opponents.
World No. 9 Wei Chong-Kai Wun had to work harder than expected in their opening match against fellow Malaysians Law Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong. The French Open champions struggled to find their rhythm and dropped the first game 12-21.
However, they responded strongly in the next two games, taking control of the match to secure a 21-8, 21-12 victory in 38 minutes. They will next face Taiwan's Chen Zhi Ray and Lin Yu Chieh, ranked world No. 32, in the last 16 on Thursday.
National assistant men's doubles coach Chang Kim Wai said the pair were slow to settle into the match and stressed the importance of maintaining their focus from the opening points.
Meanwhile, independent pair Chia Wei Jie and Teo Ee Yi delivered one of Malaysia's best results on the opening day by defeating China's world No. 11 combination Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi.
The world No. 39 Malaysians needed just 34 minutes to claim a convincing 21-14, 21-19 victory and book their place in the last 16. They will now meet Taiwan's He Jhe Wei and Huang Jui Hsuan, who are ranked world No. 38.
However, the day ended in disappointment for several other Malaysian combinations.
Source: The Star
Independent pair Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong suffered a 21-11, 21-17 defeat to South Korea's Jin Yong and Jo Sung Hyun. The loss marked their fourth consecutive first-round exit on the World Tour since reaching the semi-finals of the China Masters in September.
National pair Haikal Nazri and Bryan Goonting also bowed out after a hard-fought three-game encounter against China's Wang Chang and Xie Haonan. Despite taking the match to a deciding game, the world No. 86 Malaysians eventually lost 14-21, 24-22, 17-21.
Choong Hon Jian and Wong Vin Sean were also unable to progress, falling 20-22, 12-21 to South Korea's world No. 1 pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae.
With several Malaysian combinations already out of the competition, attention now turns to Wei Chong-Kai Wun and Wei Jie-Ee Yi as they look to build on their opening victories and keep the country's challenge alive in the men's doubles event.
