Kian Meng and Pei Jing show they’re back to their old selves.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mixed doubles shuttlers Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing have come back from the dead.

The former world No. 9 pair are looking like their old selves again after breaking into the top 20 after a lapse of seven months.

The pair were in fiery form when they notched a comfortable 21-13, 21-10 win over Indonesian scratch pair Akbar Bintang Cahyono-Annisa Saufika in the second round at the New Zealand Open in Auckland yesterday.

“Our opponents are playing in their first tournament together, so their combination was not that strong and we took advantage,” said Pei Jing.

“For this tournament, we just need to stick to our game plan and keep the mistakes to a minimum.”

The pair have had the worst possible start to the year.

In their first four tournaments, they were shown the exit in the first round. Last month, they found their footing and made it to the Malaysian Open semi-finals and were runners-up at the Singapore Open.

But they found the going tough at the Asian Badminton Championships when they suffered a firstround exit at the hands of China’s world No. 1 and reigning world and All-England champions Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong.

Their creditable performances saw them jump from 39th in the world rankings to 20th on Tuesday.

“We had no idea we’re back in the top 20 as we were busy focusing on doing well in tournaments.

“We’ll keep on fighting and try to move higher.”

They will now take on compatriots and second seeds Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying.

The last time they met was at the Malaysian Masters in 2016 with Kian Meng-Pei Jing coming out victorious.