Malaysia kept their hopes alive in the men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles as Lee Chong Wei went through a three-game battle against Hong Kong’s unseeded Angus Ng Ka Long to advance to the second-round in the men’s singles.
In a late night match which lasted nearly an hour the seventh-seeded Chong Wei, 35, fresh from winning his record-breaking 12th Malaysia Open title won 21-15, 18-21, 21-10 and will play Denmark’s Anders Antonsen for a place in the quarter-finals.
Chong Wei dominated the first game but a spate of unforced errors saw the Malaysian surrender his 10-7 lead to allow Ka Long take the break at 11-10. His opponent stretched his lead to 16-12 before Chong Wei checked the slide and even led 18-17. However, Ka Long forced the rubber by taking the game 21-18. In the decider, Chong stamped his authority and easily won 21-10.
After the disappointing defeat of Malaysia’s top pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong in the first round in the men’s doubles on Tuesday, Malaysia’s second pair kept the challenge alive.
Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi beat Indonesia’s Wahyu Nayaka Arya Pangkaryanira -Ade Yusuf Santoso 21-18, 21-11. However, they have a mountain to climb in the second round against top seeds and world number one Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo.
There was also cheer in the women’s doubles with Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean winning their first round match against Indonesia’s Keshya Nurvita Hanadia-Devi Tika Permatasari 25-23, 21-13.
They too face an uphill task for a place in the quarter-finals and play China’s top seeds Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan – 13-21, 21-17, 21-17 winners over Korea’s Chang Ye-na-Jung Kyung-eun. The Chinese finished runners-up in last week’s Malaysia Open.
In the mixed doubles, Rio Olympics silver medallists Chang Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying got the better of compatriots and seventh seeds, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie 21-19, 21-19. RIZAL ABDULLAH
