KUALA LUMPUR – There will be no Malaysian mixed doubles teams in the second round of the 2023 Malaysia Masters as all four pairs crashed out in the opening round today.
Taking the court in the first session of the day, Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing were the first to be sent packing as they fell 22-20, 22-20 to 13th seed Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand.
Having lost their last two meetings at the World Tour Finals and All England Open last year, the Thai pair now lead 3-2 in the head-to-head against the 17th seed Malaysian pair.
Despite winning their qualification match yesterday against Indonesia’s Adnan Maulana-Nita Violina Marwah, Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See ended their campaign in the round of 32 today.
The 33rd seed Malaysian duo were no match for ninth ranked South Korean pair Kim Won-ho-Jeong Na-eun as the match ended 21-8, 21-15 in 37 minutes.
Goh Soon Huat-Lai Shevon Jemie faced the same fate, as the world number 7 pair were unable to overpower 40th seed Praveen Jordan-Melati Daeva Oktavianti.
The 21-19, 18-21, 21-12 defeat now means the Indonesian pair have won four out of the last five meetings between them, and they will now face China’s Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin in the second round tomorrow.
With all hope for one mixed doubles pair to enter the tournament’s second round resting on Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei’s shoulders, Malaysian badminton fans were left disappointed as the pair lost to Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari.
Although Tang Jie-Ee Wei managed to bounce back in the second set, the 14th ranked Indonesians booked their spot in the second round tomorrow after winning the match 22-20, 11-21, 21-15 in 56 minutes. – The Vibes, May 24, 2023
