Changzhou: Malaysian men’s doubles pair Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong fought a tough 71-minute battle to move past Denmark’s Mathias Boe/Mads Conrad-Petersen in the second round of China Open.
Goh/Tan got off to a strong start by winning the first set 21-13. However, they couldn’t convert when leading at 20-19, 21-20 in the second set, allowing Boe/Conrad-Petersen to force a decider by losing the second set 22-24.
In a neck and neck third-set, Goh/Tan squandered four match points and saved two match points from the Denmark pair before finally wrapping up the second round match at 27-25 when Mathias Boe returned a shot from Tan Wee Kiong but was too strong and hit the shuttlecock out of bound.
Next up for Goh/Tan will play No. 1 seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia.
The Indonesian pair also staged a remarkable fightback on Thursday to reach the last 8 at China Open, as they saved two match points to exact revenge for their loss to Choi Solgyu/Seo Seung Jae of Korea in the 2019 World Championships second round, beating the Korean pair at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium 22-20, 18-21, 23-21 in 60 minutes.
Another Malaysian men’s pair Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi also involved in a marathon 74-minutes fight with Denmark’s No. 8 seeds Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen before surviving the second round match 21-18, 14-21, 25-23. Ong/Teo will take on No. 3 seeds Li Jun Hui/Liu Yu Chen of China in the quarter-finals.
In men’s singles, No. 1 seed Kento Momota saw off Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto 21-10, 21-11.
“It was a tough match. Sugiarto was a powerful player,” said Momota.
“I think I am in good shape now, I will be ready for tomorrow’s match,” added Momota.
The top seed will face compatriot Kanta Tsuneyama in the quarter-finals, who beat Malaysia’s Liew Daren 21-12, 21-19.
