# Malaysian pair stun Thai top seeds to reach stay alive
# Joo Ven’s run comes to an abrupt end in the men’s singles
# Inconsistent Soniia Cheah fails to make the quarter-finals
# Malaysia also fall in men’s and mixed doubles
National number two women’s doubles pair Chow Mei Kuan-Lim Meng Yean lifted the gloom in the Malaysian camp with a superb straight games win over Thai top seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai to reach the quarter-finals in the USD120,000 Korea Masters in Gwangju City, Gwangju on Friday.
The Malaysians romped home in straight games 21-13, 21-12 in 38 minutes over the KL 2017 SEA Games gold medallists to earn a quarter-final clash against homesters Chae Yoo-jung-Kim Hye-rin. The Koreans came through a 21-11, 21-16 win over Chang Ching-hui-Yang Ching-tun of Chinese Taipei.
Mei Kuan-Meng Yean are the only Malaysians left in the tournament after Soong Joo Ven and Chong Wei Feng were beaten in the third round in the men’s singles while Soniia Cheah came unstuck in the women’s singles.
In the doubles the men’s pair of Goh V Shem-Teo Ee Yi put up a gallant fight before going down to the experienced Thai fifth seeds Bodin Isara-Nipitphon Phuangphuapet in three games 21-15. 20-22, 19-21 in a 54-minute encounter.
Chan Peng Soon-Cheah See Yee fell to Korean seventh seeds Kim Won-ho-Shin Seung-chan 15-21, 16-21 in 34 minutes in the mixed doubles.
Soniia’s inconsistency once again stood out like a sore thumb in her tame 13-21, 12-21 defeat to China’s Wang Zhiyi in only 33-minutes in a second round match. The defeat came in the wake of her 21-18, 16-21, 21-16 upset win over Indonesia’s sixth seed Fitriani Fitriani in the first round.
Joo Ven’s run in the men’s singles was cut short by Lee Chai-hao of Chinese Taipei who walked away with an easy 21-16, 21-15 win while privateer and former Thomas Cupper Chong Wei Feng was ousted by Thailand’s number seven seed Khosit Phetpradap 21-17, 21-10 in their third round matches.BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
RESULTS (SELECTED)
Men’s singles
(Third Round)
Lee Chia-hao (Tpe) beat Soong Joo Ven (Mas) 21-16, 21-15
Khosit Phetpradab (Tha) beat Chong Wei Feng (Mas) 21-17, 21-10
Men’s doubles
(Second Round)
Bodin Isara-Nipitphon Phuangphuapet (Tha) beat Goh V Shem-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) 15-21, 22-20, 21-19
Women’s singles (Second Round)
Wang Zhiyi (Chn) beat Soniia Cheah (Mas) 21-13, 21-12
Women’s doubles
(Second Round)
Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (Mas) beat Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai (Tha) 21-13, 21-12
Cheng Yu-chien-Hu Ling-fang (Tpe) beat Lim Yin Loo-Yap Cheng Wen (Mas) 15-21, 21-18, 21-18
Mixed doubles
(Second Round)
Kim Won-ho-Shin Seung-chan (Kor) beat Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See (Mas) 21-15, 21-16
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