Jakarta: The World No. 20 Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun are joining the World No. 21 mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng/Lai Pei Jing in the Indonesia Open semifinals on Saturday.
Highlights of Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun vs. Lu Ching Yao/Yang Po Han in the 2024 Indonesia Open Quarter-Finals:
In the quarterfinal match at Istora Senayan, Man/Tee faced a tough challenge from the World No. 25 Taiwanese pair Lu Ching Yao/Yang Po Han in the first set but managed to defeat the Taiwanese pair 21-17.
The second set was fiercely contested, but Lu/Yang prevailed 21-18, forcing Man/Tee into a deciding set.
Lu/Yang seemed to lose their rhythm in the third set, allowing Man/Tee to secure an easy 21-10 victory, earning their first semifinal spot of the season, having previously been halted at the quarterfinals of the 2024 Malaysia Masters and the 2024 Swiss Open.
“We are happy with this Super 1000 tournament and to have reached the semifinals. There are still matches ahead, and we will play our best,” Tee Kai Wun told the BWF.
“We didn’t expect to reach the semifinals in a Super 1000 event because we often lost in the first or second round. This is our first time in the semifinals, and we are definitely happy.”
Man/Tee will meet Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani of Indonesia in the final four.
Meanwhile, another men’s doubles pair, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, were defeated in the quarterfinals.
Despite showing great fighting spirit to challenge the second-seeded Chinese pair, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, and Liang/Wang were more adept at exploiting the gaps on the court.
Goh/Izzuddin won the first set 21-18 before losing the second game 18-21.
In the final set, Liang/Wang dominated early, but Goh/Izzuddin made a comeback to tie the score at 19-19 before the Chinese pair clinched the victory with a 21-19 result.
Earlier, Tan Kian Meng/Lai Pei Jing advanced to the semifinals after defeating the eighth-seeded South Korean pair, Kim Won Ho/Jeong Na Eun, 21-8, 21-19. They are scheduled to face the Chinese pair, Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin on Saturday.
In men’s singles, both Lee Zii Jia and Leong Jun Hao were defeated in the quarterfinals. Lee lost to Kunlavut Vitidsarn 16-21, 17-21, and Leong was defeated by Li Shifeng 11-21, 12-21.
