KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 – Women’s doubles Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean were thrilled to bits to down Indonesian top seeds and tournament favorites Greysia Polii-Apriyani Rahayu 21-13, 21-17 in their final Group A match of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020 on Friday.
However, it soon turned to sheer joy when it was revealed to them that the win also kept them in the race with a place in the semi-finals as the group runners behind Koreans Lee So Hee-Shin Seung Chan who beat another Malaysian pair Vivian Hoo-Yap Cheng Wen 21-12, 21-16 for their second win and had a game difference of plus three to top the group.
Mei Kuan-Meng Yean and Greysia-Aprilyani also had two wins and a loss but the head-to-head contest in the tournament decided the second spot which saw the Malaysians advance to the knockout stage. The Malaysians celebrated while the Indonesians were crestfallen.
”This is our dream (to be in the semi-finals). We were fully focused to pressure our opponents. When we won the first game our confidence grew. Our defense was also solid,” said Mei Kuan.
Greysia said the Malaysians played better on the day and were more focused. “They (Malaysians) deserve the win…they made fewer mistakes,” said Greysia.
Mixed doubles Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (pic below) added more joy to the Malaysian camp although the pair only came alive after losing the first game and bounced back with an energetic performance to win the second and third games.
In the 57-minute thriller, Soon Huat-Shevon ranked No 12, turned the tide around for a 17-21, 21-13, 21-13 win against the eighth-ranked Indonesians. The win gave the Malaysians second spot in Group B.
It was a bleak day for Malaysia in the men’s doubles when both pairs Aaron Chia-So Wooi Yik crashed to a three-game defeat – losing steam after winning the first game 21-18 but failed to build on their momentum and lost the next two 21-17, 21-11 against Indonesia’s world champions Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan in 45 minutes.
Professionals Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi seeded fourth, went out in straight games 21-15, 21-3 against hard-hitting England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy in 38 minutes. This is the first time they were playing with each other.
However, Lee Zii Jia was the most disappointing when he fell to a 21-12, 15-21, 21-13 defeat to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia in his final Group A match – ending his debut in the world tour without a win in three matches.
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