Malaysia’s mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying gave their Asian Games hopes a shot in the arm when they cleared their first hurdle in the USD150,000 US Open in Fullerton, California.
The Rio Olympics silver medallists defeated Korea’s Seo Seung-jae-Chae Yujung 17-21, 21-19, 23-21 in a 74-minute battle in the first round on Tuesday.
The Malaysians, ranked 26, face another Korean hurdle in the second round and will face qualifiers Kim Jae-hwan-Kim So-heong for a place in the quarter-finals. In an all-Korean clash of qualifiers, Jae-hwan-So-yeong came through a 19-21, 21-18, 21-11 win over Kim Hwi-tae-Kim Hye-jeong.
With only two slots available for the Asiad in Indonesia in August, national mixed-doubles head coach Pang Chen Chang said he will base his selection on merit.
The other two pairs in the running are Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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