KUALA LUMPUR – National mixed doubles’ pair Chen Tang Jie-Valeree Siow secured a spot in the round of 16 of the Malaysia Masters today after delivering a stunning upset against higher-ranked Mark Lamsfuss-Isabel Lohau of Germany.
The Malaysians, ranked 150 in the world, overpowered the eighth-seeded Germans in straight-sets 17-21, 11-21 in only 33 minutes at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.
Speaking to the media after the match, Tang Jie admitted to making “a lot of mistakes” at the start of the game which allowed their opponent to take advantage.
“I owe it to Valeree for leading the match and gave me the confidence to keep fighting.
“When I was not in my best form, she motivated me to stay consistent.
“Being in the senior position, I have usually been the one to guide her, but I think today she was my MVP today and we won.”
Tang Jie and Valeree had only been paired up since last month’s Indonesia Masters in Jakarta but did not get past the round of 32 when they lost to home favourites Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari.
Valeree, meanwhile, added that they tried to focus on giving their best performance through what they have learned from training sessions.
“I did not want to overthink about the ranking,” she said.
The pair will face 22nd-ranked Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand in the second round next.
Another mixed doubles pair that progressed to the next round is Hoo Pang Ron-Toh Ee Wei, who performed an upset on South Korea’s Jeong Na Eun-Kim Won Ho, while Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See downed Brazil’s Fabricio Farias-Jaqueline Lima.
Meanwhile, fellow teammates Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie overcame compatriots Choong Hon Jian-Peck Yen Wei.
Soong Joo Ven-Goh Liu Ying, however, did not share the same fate as they lost to Indonesia’s Hafiz Faizal-Serena Kani.
In the men’s doubles category, Junaidi Arif-Muhammad Haikal defeated fellow countrymen Boon Xin Yuan-Wong Tien Ci in an hour-long match, 15-21, 21-17, 21-17. – The Vibes, July 6, 2022
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