* Quarter-final tie lost when V Shem-Wee Kiong failed to get the first point
* Chong Wei continues his winning run
* Koreans whip Malaysia 3-1 in the quarter-finals
South Korea kept their rich tradition of having reached the semi-finals in every edition in the Sudirman Cup mixed team event when they eased past Malaysia 3-1 in the quarter-finals in Dongguan, China on Friday.
It was sweet revenge for the Koreans who were stunned 3-2 by the Malaysians in a preliminary Group D match on Sunday. The second seeded Koreans, however, advance to the quarter-finals with a 4-1 win over India in their second match on Wednesday.
The writing was already on the wall for Malaysia when Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong failed to garner the first point in the men’s doubles and were handed a 18-21, 16-21 beating in 48 minutes.
Malaysia were hoping for the morale boosting first points from the men’s doubles but the Malaysian pair failed to reproduce their form when they stunned World No 1 pair Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong in the group match.
While the Koreans rode on the win in the men’s doubles, it was an uphill task from there on for Malaysia as Tee Jing Yi was no match in her women’s singles match against Sung Ji-hyung in her 17-21, 12-21 defeat in 44 minutes.
As usual it was left to former World No 1 and Malaysia’s top shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei inject some inspiration and he once again showed that he has not lost his touch despite laying off from competitive badminton for eight months after failing a doping test during the last World Championships in Copenhagen in August 2014.
The Sudirman Cup is his first tournament and Chong Wei is captaining the young Malaysian team to the mixed team event. Chong Wei secured Malaysia’s solitary point in the quarter-finals with a 21-17, 21-12 win over San Wan-ho in 42 minutes.
Any hopes of keeping Malaysia’s semi-final hopes alive disappeared when Commonwealth Games and SEA Games champions were beaten in the women’s doubles by Chang Ye-na-Jung Kyung Eun who came back strongly from a set down to win 21-23, 21-16, 21-17 in a 69 minute battle.
It was an improved showing by Vivian-Khe Wei who had lost to the Koreans in straight sets 22-20, 21-9 in the group match.
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
SOUTH KOREA 3 MALAYSIA 1
(Koreans first)
Men’s Singles
Son Wan-ho lost to Datuk Lee Chong Wei 17-21, 12-21
Men’s Doubles
Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong beat Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong 21-18, 21-16
Women’s Singles
Sung Ji-hyun beat Tee Jing Yi 21-17, 21-21
Women’s Doubles
Chang Ye-na-Jung Kyung-eun beat Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei 21-23, 21-16, 21-17
CHINA 3 GERMANY 0