PETALING JAYA: Reigning world mixed doubles champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei gave the home fans a treat as they swept past top Indonesian pair Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Alberta Pasaribu in the opening round of the Malaysia Open badminton tournament.
Spurred on by a vocal home crowd at Axiata Arena, the world No 4 pair beat the 10th-ranked Indonesians 21-12, 21-17 in 38 minutes.
The win extended Tang Jie–Ee Wei’s flawless head-to-head record against the Indonesian pair to seven victories from seven meetings.
The Malaysians will face compatriots Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin in the last 16 tomorrow for a quarter-final spot in the World Tour Super 1000 tournament.
In another mixed doubles match, Jimmy Wong–Lai Pei Jing went down tamely after a one-sided 10-21, 9-21 defeat to Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man–Tse Ying Suet in just 30 minutes.