DESPITE a nosebleed during the match, Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei remained unfazed as they cruised to the semifinals of the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China.
The Malaysian pair triumphed over Dejan Ferdinansyah and Gloria Imanuelle of Indonesia with a 21-17, 21-18 win in their Group B match.
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The victory secured them a spot in the semifinals, with Tang Jie playing through a bleeding nose that didn’t stop him from delivering a stellar performance.
According to The Star, Tang Jie said: “Yes, my nose was bleeding but I’ve had this condition since I was young. I’ve a sensitive nose and I’ve seen a doctor about it. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’m just happy to beat the Indonesians. We lost to them once before (China Open this year). I had problems then with my knee and I was not in the best condition.
“That, however, is not an excuse for losing to them,” he said.
Ee Wei credited their coach, Nova Widianto, for keeping their spirits high after their earlier loss to Dejan-Gloria.
“After that defeat, our coach gave us a lot of encouragement. We were more steady today and showed improvement in our game this time,” Ee Wei said.
The duo will play their final group match today against Hiroki Morikawa and Natsu Saito, with one goal in mind – to win and finish as group champions.
They have a solid track record against the Japanese pair, winning two of their previous four encounters, including a victory at the 2023 Thailand Masters and their first meeting at the 2022 Bangladesh International Challenge.
Even if they lose, Tang Jie and Ee Wei are still expected to reach the semifinals, marking a significant improvement from last year when they failed to make it past the group stage.
A semifinal finish guarantees the pair US$17,500 (approx. RM77,897), with the winners taking home US$210,000 (approx. RM934,703).
In another exciting turn, fellow Malaysian professionals Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie kept their semifinal hopes alive with a convincing 21-14, 21-14 win over Morikawa-Saito.
This win came after they were defeated by Tang Jie and Ee Wei in a previous match.
“We knew anything can happen in the round-robin format, and were focused on our own game,” Shevon said.
“We may not have played against them (Dejan-Gloria) before, but both of us are familiar with each other’s playing style. We will just have to be prepared.”
