Man-Tee gear up for grudge tie against Indian pair in Istora
PETALING JAYA: It's personal this time.
Malaysia's top men's doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are out to finally crack the code against their nemesis – India's top pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty – in a high-stakes Indonesian Open quarter-final showdown today.
Despite holding a higher world ranking at No. 7 compared to the Indian duo's 22nd, Wei Chong-Kai Wun are still chasing their first win in five meetings since 2022 – a losing streak they are desperate to end.
Their most recent encounter at the Indian Open in January ended in a disappointing defeat but they are hoping to turn their fortunes.
The clash is expected to be an even tougher challenge than their all-Malaysian battle yesterday, where they overcame Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi in the second round.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun looked on the verge of defeat after dropping the first game, but they rallied to secure a hard-fought 14-21, 21-11, 21-15 victory against their teammates.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag also showed fire in their belly by advancing to the quarter-finals after edging past Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard 16-21, 21-18, 22-20 in a thrilling game.
Wei Chong is ready to face the huge battle ahead.
'It was a tough match against our teammates (Roy King-Wan Arif), because we knew each other's game very well. The match depended on our condition really,' said Wei Chong.
'I think we really did well in our game plan and our shots. I think it's getting better, and we managed to pull a strong comeback.'
Wei Chong-Kai Wun were the finalists at last year's edition and hopes are high on them to get into the same stage again.
Meanwhile, women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah breathed a sigh of relief after battling through a tough encounter against the home favourites Lanny Tria Mayasari-Siti Fadia Ramadhanti to reach the quarter-finals.
Playing at the Istora Senayan in front of thousands of passionate home fans can be daunting for any player but Pearly-Thinaah managed to overcome the challenge, especially after falling behind significantly in the first game.
They booked their quarter-final spot after a hard-fought 18-21, 21-16, 21-17 victory.
'Definitely not easy to play with them (Lanny-Siti). We've played against them a few times already but I think what really helped both of us today (yesterday) was the support from each other and also the coaches who didn't give up on us.
'They kept motivating us even though we were going deep into the match, but we didn't want to let that affect us or bring our motivation and spirit down.
'We just kept fighting for one point at a time. I think that really helped us,' said Thinaah.
The duo will play the winners of the match between teammates Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee and Japan's Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi.
RESULTS
(Malaysians only)
SECOND ROUND
Men's doubles: Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun bt Yap Roy King-Wang Arif Wan Junaidi 14-21, 21-11, 21-15.
Women's doubles: Pearly Tan-M.Thinaah bt Lanny Tria Mayasari-Siti Fadia Ramadhanti (Ina) 18-21, 21-16, 21-17.
Mixed doubles: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei bt Mads Vestergaard-Christine Busch (Den) 21-9, 21-12; Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie bt Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina Marwah (Ina) 21-12, 21-17.
FIRST ROUND
Men's singles: Leong Jun Hao bt Chico Dwi Wardoyo (Ina) 21-13, 21-12.
Men's doubles: Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard (Den) bt Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 21-13, 19-21, 21-18.
Women's singles: Kirsty Gilmour (Sco) bt Goh Jin Wei 22-20, 21-16.
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