Malaysia’s singles hope Lee Zii Jia failed to make the last eight but two mixed doubles pairs and one men’s doubles carry Malaysia’s hopes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in the Singapore Open after the second round matches were completed on Thursday.
Two mixed doubles pairs – Rio Olympics silver medal winner Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and men’s doubles Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong are still in the running.
However, defending mixed doubles champions Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie were shown the exit – going in straight games 22-24, 10-21 – to Japan’s Yuki Kaneko-Misaki Matsutomo in 36 minutes.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying, the fourth seeds, outplayed Lu Ching Yao-Lee Chia Hsin of Chinese Taipei 21-15, 21-15 in 34 minutes to earn a last-eight place against Indonesian opponents, seventh seeds, Hafiz Faizal-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja.
Kian Meng-Pei Jing continued with their good form of late after reaching the semi-finals in Malaysia Open when they came back from a one-game deficit to beat Japan’s Kohei Gondo-Ayane Kurihara 19-21, 21-9, 21-17.
They will also face an Indonesian hurdle in Rickey Karandasuwardi-Pia Zebadiah Bernadet for a place in the last four.
Putting the mixed doubles aside, Malaysia’s hopes in the men’s doubles rests on former world No 1 and Rio Olympics silver medallist V Shem-Wee Kiong who advanced with a 21-15, 21-10 win over Thailand’s Tinn Isriyanet-Kittisak Namdash in only 25 minutes.
However, V Shem-Wee Kiong will need to raise their game if they are to beat reigning All-England champions Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan for a place in the semi-finals.
Two other pairs in the men’s doubles – All-England runners-up Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Chooi Kah Ming-Low Juan Shen – fell by the wayside in the second round.
Aaron-Wooi Yik gave another lackluster performance after high in Birmingham and went out tamely 11-21, 19-21 to China’s No 2 seeds Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen in half-an-hour.
Kah Ming-Juan Shen fought a close battle with Indonesia’s No 8 seeds Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto in their 20-22, 17-21 defeat in 44 minutes.
Zii Jia, a first-round casualty in the Malaysia Open was blown away 13-21, 12-21 by Indonesia’s Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie.
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, top seed and World No1 Kento Momota was hardly troubled by India’s H.S. Prannoy in his 21-11, 21-11 win.
In the women’s singles top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, fresh from winning her third Malaysia Open title in a row, easily brushed aside China’s Chen Xiaoxin 21-15, 21-18.
India’s P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal also kept their challenge alive after defeat Mia Blichfeldt (Denmark) and Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong respectively. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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