
Kuala Lumpur: Teo Ee Yi/Ong Yew Sin created a surprise by advancing to the quarterfinals of the PETRONAS Malaysia Open on Thursday.
This success came after Teo/Ong secured a victory over the fifth-ranked Danish pair, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, in a thrilling round of matches at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Highlights of Teo Ee Yi/Ong Yew Sin vs. Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the 2024 Malaysia Open second round:
Ong/Teo started strong, winning the first set 21-10, but their opponents fought back, claiming the second set 21-11, leading to a decisive third set.
The deciding set was intense, with both pairs fiercely competing, especially in the final points before Ong/Teo confirmed the victory with a 24-22 result after 61 minutes.
This triumph also marked the end of Ong/Teo’s previous string of losses to the same opponents in the last two meetings during the World Championships and the Denmark Open last year.
Ong mentioned that when the opponents leveled the score at 20-20, bringing the third set to ‘deuce,’ they remained focused to ensure victory, not dwelling on the match points.
“We did not think about the points beforehand. When leading 20-18, we thought we could win, but then made some easy mistakes. After this, we don’t want to repeat those mistakes again. Additionally, the unified support from fans in the stadium was a catalyst for our victory. We also made some gameplay adjustments, and it paid off,” said Ong after the match.
Teo added that they provided mutual encouragement, especially towards the end of the third set when Astrup-Rasmussen rallied to equalize at 20-20.
“They didn’t admit defeat, so we couldn’t give up either, especially since they always motivate each other. We did the same, and it was very helpful,” added Teo.
Ong/Teo will play Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi of Japan next.
Another Malaysian men’s pair Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, easily defeated their compatriots Nur Izzuddin Rumsani/Goh Sze Fei to advance to the quarterfinals.
The fourth-ranked duo in the world took only 36 minutes to secure a victory with scores of 21-15, 21-16 against Izzuddin/Goh in the second-round match.
This win allows Chia/Soh to improve on their performance from last year’s edition, where they were eliminated in the second round after losing to the Chinese pair Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi.
However, Chia/Soh faces a challenging task in their quest for a spot in the semifinals as they are scheduled to face the reigning world champions from South Korea, Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae on Friday.
Based on their head-to-head record, the two pairs are tied at 1-1, with Chia/Soh winning the most recent meeting at the China Open in September last year.
Meanwhile, the journey of the mixed doubles team, Chan Peng Soon/Cheah Yee See, in this tournament concludes as they were defeated by the Chinese pair Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin with scores of 14-21, 14-21.