Shenzhen: Malaysia’s mixed doubles pair, Hoo Pang Ron/Cheng Su Yin, expressed their excitement after reaching their first-ever BWF World Tour final at the China Masters.
The 26-year-old Hoo admitted his joy at finally making it to a final after years of changing partners. “After switching partners so many times, making it to the final feels incredibly rewarding,” he said.
Highlights of Hoo Pang Ron/Cheng Su Yin vs. Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet in the 2024 China Masters semifinals:
Hoo Pang Ron/Cheng Su Yin secured their spot in the Super 750 final after a hard-fought 65-minute semifinal, defeating Hong Kong’s third seeds Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet 21-14, 17-21, 21-19.
The 21-year-old Cheng could not contain her excitement either, saying, “I’m so happy because this is my first time reaching a final. I hope we can perform well tomorrow.”
When asked by a BWF reporter how they overcame challenges during the match, especially after losing the second game, Cheng said, “I kept communicating with my partner, Pang Ron, who kept reassuring me, saying, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay.'”
On their way to the finals, the pair also defeated China’s second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin. In the final, they will face China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping. Cheng commented that their goal is to put up a good fight.
Hoo Pang Ron acknowledged the challenge of playing against the Chinese pair on their home ground. “They’re a very strong team. We’ll go back and study their game more and hope for a great performance tomorrow,” he said.
He also reflected on their previous encounter with Feng and Huang at this year’s Hong Kong Open, where they lost. “From that match, we learned how to stay calm when trailing or when leading by one or two crucial points. It helped us build confidence.”
In women’s singles semifinal, World No. 1 An Se Young delivered another incredible performance at the China Masters Super 750, defeating Japan’s 18-year-old Tomoka Miyazaki 21-5, 22-20 to advance to the women’s singles final.
An dominated the first game, allowing her opponent only five points. Although Miyazaki rallied in the second game, leading 20-13, An pulled off a stunning comeback, winning nine consecutive points to seal the match in straight sets.
An will face China’s World No. 28 Gao Fang Jie in the final.
It will be an all-Chinese women’s doubles final when Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min will compete against compatriots Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning in the final.
