Tang Jie-Ee Wei advance, compatriots falter
The world No. 3, who are gunning for their first title of the season, barely broke a sweat in their 21-18, 21-14 victory.
Despite consistently reaching the business end, Tang Jie-Ee Wei have fallen in the semi-finals four times this year — at the Malaysia Open, India Open, Indonesia Open and Japan Open.
A triumph in Macau, albeit at Super 300 level, would serve as a much-needed morale booster ahead of the Paris World Championships from Aug 25-31.
They will next face Indonesia's world No. 25 Adnan Maulana-Indah Cahya Sari Jamil, new opponents for the Malaysians.
While Tang Jie-Ee Wei are the favourites on paper, Indonesian pairs have historically proven to be unpredictable and dangerous.
World No. 16 and last year's semi-finalists Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin crashed out in disappointing fashion to Denmark's Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Bøje, losing 21-16, 21-16.
Although the Danes are a capable duo, Pang Ron-Su Yin were expected to have the upper hand, particularly with Christiansen only just returning from a one-year suspension for anti-doping violations.
The ban forced the Danish pair to miss the Paris Olympics despite being ranked No. 11 in the world prior to their withdrawal.
The early exit in Macau marked the sixth straight tournament where Pang Ron-Su Yin have failed to progress beyond the last 16.
In another second-round match, Loo Bing Kun-Go Pei Kee put up a commendable fight before falling 21-9, 20-22, 21-11 to Indonesia's sixth seeds Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina Marwah.
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