Nothing to lose
Peng Soon-Liu Ying up against world No. 1 pair in last eight
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying will be looking for a timely boost ahead of next month’s Asian Games when they play China’s world No. 1 ranked pair Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping for a place in the semi-finals of the Indonesian Open badminton championships in Jakarta.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying, the Rio Olympic silver medallists, reached the last eight following a 21-15, 21-17 win over Danes Nichlas NohrSara Thygesen in a second-round match yesterday.
Yilyu-Dongping, who are also the reigning Asian champions, claimed a 21-16, 21-18 win over Danes Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Alexandra Boje earlier.
The straight games win over the Danish pair to enter the quarter-finals is certainly a relief for Peng Soon-Liu Ying after crashing out in the first round of the Malaysian Open in Bukit Jalil last week.
“Our game plan against the Danish pair worked out today. We studied a lot from video analysis as we had met them before.
“We will stay focused tomorrow. It is not easy to play the world No. 1 pair but we have nothing to lose tomorrow. It will be a good workout before the Indonesia Asian Games,” said Peng Soon, who is ranked sixth in the world with Liu Ying.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying and top Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei are the only Malaysian challengers left in Jakarta.
Newly crowned Malaysian Open champion Chong Wei overcame Denmark’s Anders Antonsen 21-12, 21-15 in 47 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals, where he will take on Thai Kantaphon Wangcharoen.
Chong Wei, making a bid to win a seventh Indonesian Open title, has to be wary of the young Thai who has the potential to spring an upset.
Kantaphon defeated reigning Olympic champion Chen Long in the first round of the Malaysian Open last week.
Men’s doubles pair Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin exited the tournament after an 18-21, 12-21 defeat at the hands of world No. 1 pair Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia.
Both women’s doubles pairs Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean and Vivian Hoo-Yap Cheng Wen also failed to clear their respective second-round hurdles.
Mei Kuan-Meng Yean lost to top seeds Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan of China 20-22, 18-21 while VivianCheng Wen were beaten 19-21, 21-23 by second seeds Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota of Japan.