KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 – It will be all-Malaysian quarter-finals in the men’s and women’s doubles after the completion of second-round matches at the Super 1000 Toyota Thailand Open which offers USD1 million in prize money.
This assures Malaysia of a semi-final slot in both events. Rio Olympics silver medal winners Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong will renew their rivalry in Bangkok with the country’s top pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
The professionals beat Aaron-Wooi Yik in the first round in last week’s Yonex Thailand and V Shem-Wee Kiong went on to reach the final before losing to Lee Yang-Wang Chi-Lin of Chinese Taipei.
On Thursday, V Shem-Wee Kiong overcame Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh-Kittinupong 21-15. 16-21, 21-15 in 52 minutes while Aaron-Wooi Yik also went through the distance before snatching a 21-12, 6-21, 21-12 win over Indonesia’s reigning world junior champions Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin, both aged 19.
In the women’s double newly formed pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah gave another shot of their potential. coming through three games for a 19-21, 21-16, 21-9 win in 57 minutes over the French pair of Vimala Heriau-Margot Lambert to advance.
They will face teammates Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean, who defeated Australians Setyana Mapasa-Gronya Somerville 21-17, 21-15, for a place in the last four.
Also advancing were Vivian Hoo-Yap Cheng Wen showed steely determination to down Emille Lefel-Anne Tran of France 19-21, 21-17, 21-12 in a 66-minute battle. They will take on Korean third seed Lee So Hee-Shin Seung Chan in the quarter-finals.
Another men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi came back from a game down to defeat Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen-Niclas Nohr 8-21, 21-7, 21-17. The Malaysians next face India’s hard-hitting Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty.
In the mixed doubles, Malaysia’s fifth seed Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying stayed on course with a straight-game 21-18, 21-15 win over Indonesia’s Adnan Maulana-Mychelle Crhystine Bandaso and will meet India’s Satwiksairaj-Ashwini Ponnappa in the last eight.
Hoo Pang Ron-Cheah Yee See stopped Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue of France 21-14-21-16 to earn a quarter-final clash against sixth seeds Hafiz Faizal-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja of Indonesia.
In the men”s singles, professional Daren Liew pulled off a 21-17, 21-18 win over India’s HS Prannoy and will take on fourth-seeded Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. The lanky Dane, who is the reigning All-England champion, won last week’s Yonex Thailand Open.
The only Malaysian casualty in the mixed doubles was Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie who fell to a 12-21, 19-21 defeat to top seeds and home favorites Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai.
S. Kisona also fell out in the women’s singles. She lost 21-10, 21-12 to India’s world champion P.V. Sindhu.
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