Letshanaa stuns ex-world champ Okuhara as Malaysians shine at US Open
World No. 43 Justin needed just 27 minutes to dispatch Belgium's Julien Carraggi 21-10, 21-10 in the Super 300 tournament's opening round, but all eyes quickly turned to Letshanaa and Ling Ching after their shock wins over seeded opponents.
World No. 50 Letshanaa turned on the style to beat Japan's eighth seed and 2017 world champion Nozomi Okuhara 21-8, 21-19.
While Okuhara, 30, is no longer the force she once was - having also reached world No. 1 and won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics - the victory remains a big feather in Letshanaa's cap.
Ling Ching, meanwhile, pulled off an even bigger upset by edging world No. 30 and fourth seed Hsu Wen Chi of Taiwan 21-17, 19-21, 22-20 in a 66-minute battle.
It marked one of the most significant wins of the world No. 96's career.
Letshanaa will next face world No. 49 Aakarshi Kashyap of India for a place in the quarter-finals, while Ling Ching aims to build on her momentum against Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova, ranked No. 75.
The last time Ling Ching made it to a Super 300 quarter-final was at the 2023 Syed Modi International in India.
Letshanaa, meanwhile, will be eyeing her second last-eight appearance of the season after reaching the same stage at the Taiwan Open last month.
Justin, too, will be looking to maintain his strong form when he takes on Taiwan's world No. 76 Liao Jhuo Fu in the second round.
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