Hong Kong: Taiwan’s World No. 9, Chou Tien-Chen, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open by defeating Thailand’s Saran Jamsri 21-15, 21-19 on Thursday. Chou will face Denmark’s World No. 2 Viktor Axelsen next.
Coincidentally, Chou and Jamsri had met in the first round of last week’s Taipei Open, where Chou also won in straight sets.
However, on Thursday, Jamsri came prepared. He took advantage of Chou’s slow start in the first set, gaining an early 5-1 lead. However, Chou quickly got into his rhythm, scoring five consecutive points to take the lead and continued to widen the margin. Despite some errors towards the end, Chou took the first game 21-15.
In the second game, Jamsri kept the pressure on Chou, even forcing him to drop his racket while trailing 8-11. However, Chou made a comeback, securing key points and capitalizing on his opponent’s errors. The game saw several ties, but Chou ultimately won 21-19.
Denmark’s two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen defeated Taiwan’s 34th-ranked Su Li-Yang 24-22, 21-6, setting up a quarterfinal clash against Chou Tien-Chen.
Chou has a historical record of 4 wins and 19 losses against World No. 2 Axelsen, with his most recent victory coming in a three-game battle at the Thomas Cup.
Malaysia’s sole men’s singles representative, Leong Jun Hao, narrowly missed two match points and exited the round of 16 at the Hong Kong Open, but his fighting spirit deserves applause and encouragement. Ranked 29th in the world, Leong faced a tough battle against Hong Kong’s World No. 15 Lee Cheuk Yiu, and eventually lost 14-21, 21-15, 22-24 after three hard-fought games, signaling the end of Malaysia’s singles campaign.
Malaysia’s No. 3 seed women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan, advanced to the next round by defeating Hong Kong’s home team duo Lui Lok Lok and Tsang Hiu Yan, ranked 102 in the world, with a score of 21-16, 21-14. Next, the World No. 8 Malaysian pair will face Indonesia’s World No. 12 pair, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi, last week’s Taipei Open champions.
Malaysia’s Korea Open mixed doubles champions, Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei’s opponent Lee Chun Hei-Reginald and Ng Tsz Yau retired when Chen/Toh were leading 21-14, 4-1 in the second round. The World No. 9, Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei, will next face China’s 6th seeds, Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui.
Malaysia’s World No. 40 mixed doubles pair, Hoo Pang Ron/Cheng Su Yin, will play China’s top seeds, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in the quarterfinals. Malaysia’s independent mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat/Shevon Lai, also advanced and will face Hong Kong’s 3rd seeds, Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet next.
In men’s doubles, the 7th seeds, Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun, defeated China’s Xie Haonan and Zeng Weihan, 21-11, 21-18 in the second round. Ranked 17th in the world, Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun are the only Malaysian men’s doubles pair to reach the quarterfinals. Their next opponents will be Indonesia’s Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.
