KUALA LUMPUR: A little reassurance from Lai Pei Jing is helping Hoo Pang Ron break new ground on the badminton court.
Pang Ron credited his partner's trust after they reached the French Open semi-finals on Friday, marking his first consecutive last-four appearances.
The world No. 31 overcame Germany's world No. 27 Marvin Seidel–Thuc Phuong Nguyen 21–17, 20–22, 21–18 in their quarter-final at Arena Grand Paris.
"She gave me more confidence and asked me to do whatever I wanted to do, and she would follow me," said Pang Ron in a post-match interview.
"Even when I played some shots wrongly, she said it was okay and that we could still do it."
That encouragement helped the independent pair fight back from a narrow second-game defeat and keep their title bid alive.
The result built on their Denmark Open semi-final appearance last week, giving Pang Ron a personal milestone.
"I'm really happy. This is our first time reaching consecutive semi-finals. I've never done this in my career before, so thanks to my partner," he said.
"But we have to keep focusing on the next match."
Their progress in Paris has demanded persistence, with all three victories going the distance.
Pang Ron–Pei Jing opened by recovering from a game down to beat China's Gao Jia Xuan–Wu Meng Ying 14–21, 21–15, 21–15.
They then battled past Taiwan's Liu Kuang Heng–Hsu Yin Hui 21–13, 13–21, 21–17 on Thursday.
Seidel–Nguyen presented another test after eliminating Malaysia's Goh Soon Huat–Shevon Lai and China's second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang–Wei Ya Xin in the opening two rounds.
With the margins tight again, Pei Jing said they focused on their strategy, and the next shot helped them stay on course.
"It was really point for point throughout the match. We were trying to focus on every single shot, what we had to do and our strategy," she said.
Pang Ron–Pei Jing will face China's sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa–Cheng Fang Hui next for a place in the final.
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