World champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei advance to Australian Open final, seeking their second title of the year after semi-final victory.
SYDNEY: Malaysia’s world champion badminton pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei have stormed into the Australian Open final.
The top-seeded Malaysian duo needed just 50 minutes to defeat Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-16, 21-14 in today’s semi-final at Quaycentre, Olympic Boulevard.
The world number four mixed doubles pair now stands one victory away from claiming their second title of the year.
They will face either Indonesian second seeds Jafar Hidayatullah and Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu or Thai third seeds Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat in tomorrow’s championship match.
In men’s doubles action, Malaysia’s professional pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani saw their final hopes dashed by unseeded Indonesians Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin.
The second seeds suffered a surprising 15-21, 15-21 defeat in their first-ever meeting against the Indonesian combination.
The 42-minute loss prevented Goh and Nur from reaching their third final of the season.
The current world number four men’s doubles pair has captured only one title this year at January’s India Open.
They also finished as runners-up at the Japan Open last July. – Bernama
