Macau: Malaysia’s Eogene Ewe continued his breakthrough run at the Macau Open by reaching the men’s singles semifinals for the first time at Super 300 level.
The 21-year-old Malaysian defeated Singapore’s second seed Jason Teh Jia Heng 21-9, 21-19 in Friday’s quarterfinals, producing one of the most important wins of his young badminton career.
Eogene had reached the quarterfinals of a Super 300 event once before at last year’s Canada Open. This week in Macau, he went one step further, improving his best result at this level and giving Malaysia a strong men’s singles storyline to follow.
After beating former national player Cheam June Wei in the second round, Eogene entered the quarterfinals with confidence. Against Jason Teh, ranked world No. 31 and seeded second in the tournament, the Malaysian started aggressively and dominated the opening game 21-9.
The second game was much tighter, but Eogene stayed composed in the closing stages to finish the match 21-19 and secure his place in the last four.
Eogene Ewe to Face World Junior Champion Hu Zhe An
Eogene will next face China’s Hu Zhe An, the 2024 World Junior Championships men’s singles champion, for a place in the final.
Hu booked his semifinal spot by defeating fellow Chinese player Dong Tian Yao 21-15, 21-12. Dong had recently reached the Australia Open final, making Hu’s straight-game win another strong statement.
The other men’s singles semifinal will feature Indonesia’s Muhamad Yusuf against Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen.
Yusuf ended the run of Hong Kong’s top seed Ng Ka Long Angus, coming from behind to win 22-24, 21-16, 21-15. Kantaphon advanced with a 21-17, 21-10 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Wang Yu-Kai.
Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong Win Malaysian Men’s Doubles Battle
Malaysia also enjoyed success in men’s doubles, with Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong reaching their first semifinal of the year.
The world No. 73 pair came through a dramatic all-Malaysian quarterfinal against top seeds Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong, winning 14-21, 21-11, 24-22.
After dropping the first game, Low and Ng responded strongly in the second before surviving a tense deciding game to complete the upset over the world No. 25 pair.
They will face Indonesia’s Ali Faathir Rayhan and Devin Artha Wahyudi in the semifinals. The Indonesian pair advanced after defeating Singapore’s Donovan Willard Wee and Howin Wong Jia Hao 21-12, 21-19.
Chia Wei Jie-Teo Ee Yi Also Reach Men’s Doubles Semifinals
Malaysia will have another men’s doubles pair in the last four after Chia Wei Jie and Teo Ee Yi battled past Chinese Taipei’s Wei Chun Wei and Yang Po Chih.
Chia and Teo won 22-20, 18-21, 21-13 to continue their strong run in Macau.
The Malaysian pair will next face Korea’s Jin Yong and Lee Jong Min, who defeated Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul 21-19, 20-22, 21-11.
With Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong and Chia Wei Jie-Teo Ee Yi both still alive, Malaysia remains well represented in the men’s doubles semifinals.
Kim Ga Eun and Han Qian Xi Advance in Women’s Singles
In women’s singles, South Korea’s top seed Kim Ga Eun won an all-Korean quarterfinal against Kim Min Ji 21-11, 22-20 to reach the semifinals.
Kim Ga Eun will next face China’s fourth seed Han Qian Xi, who had to fight back from a game down to defeat India’s Anmol Kharb 14-21, 21-15, 21-13.
In the lower half of the draw, South Korea’s Park Ga Eun advanced after Thailand’s second seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan withdrew. Park will meet India’s Ashmita Chaliha, who beat Kim Min Sun 21-16, 21-18 to prevent another all-Korean semifinal.
Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing Continue Mixed Doubles Surprise
Malaysia’s professional mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing continued their impressive run by reaching the Macau Open semifinals.
The world No. 113 pair defeated South Korea’s Cho Song Hyun and Jeong Na Eun 21-11, 21-13 in just 30 minutes, producing another confident performance since forming their partnership last month.
Hoo and Lai controlled the match from the start, dictating the rallies and giving the Korean pair very little space to recover.
For Hoo Pang Ron, this marks his first semifinal appearance since reaching the China Masters final with Cheng Su Yin in November 2024.
Malaysia Enjoys Strong Macau Open Semifinal Presence
The Macau Open has become a highly encouraging tournament for Malaysian badminton, with Eogene Ewe reaching a new career milestone in men’s singles and several doubles pairs moving into the semifinals.
Eogene’s win over Jason Teh stands out as one of the biggest badminton news stories of the day, especially as he continues to show progress against higher-ranked opponents.
With Eogene, Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong, Chia Wei Jie-Teo Ee Yi, and Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing still in contention, Malaysia will have multiple chances to reach finals in Macau.
