PETALING JAYA: Four Malaysian doubles pairs have secured semi-final spots at the French Open badminton championships after winning their quarter-final matches.
This is a record achievement at the prestigious BWF World Tour Super 750 championships.
And history beckons for world No 4 Pearly Tan-M Thinaah, who could add a second title being the only Malaysian women’s doubles pair to have won the crown in the tournament’s 117-year history, in 2022.
In the last eight match early this morning, the Malaysian pair defeated world No 9 pair Bulgarian sisters Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva with a comfortable score of 21-12, 21-15 in a match that took 39 minutes.
In the semi-final, the newly-crowned Denmark Open champions will take on Japan’s world No 5 Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakashini, who they have beaten eight times in their 10 encounters so far.
Men’s doubles world No 5 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzudin Rumsani shocked South Korea’s world No 1 pair Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae in just 36 minutes, winning 21-15, 21-18. It's the Malaysians' third win out of seven clashes against the Koreans so far
They will face Indonesia’s world No 25 pair Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin in the semi-finals. The Malaysian pair have the edge on paper having beaten them twice in as many encounters.
The other men's doubles semi-finals will feature Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun who had an easy path to the last four after being given a walkover by their higher-ranked compatriots Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the quarter-final.
The world No 4 duo retired while trailing 0-5 in just two minutes into the first game. No official reasons have been given for their withdrawal.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun, ranked world No 11, will meet Indonesian pair Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin, who are ranked three spots below them. The two pairs have met only once before, with the Indonesians winning the encounter.
Malaysia will be hoping to end the 22-year wait for a men’s doubles title, which was last won by Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat in 2004.
In the mixed doubles, played earlier, where a Malaysian pair has never won the title since the tournament’s inception in 1909, there is now a ray of hope with Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing who beat higher-ranked pairs in their earlier matches.
They have to overcome China’s world No 6 pair Guo Xin Wai-Chen Fang Hui in the semi-final today if they aspire to achieve the feat.