KUALA LUMPUR: Mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing's European run ended with a reminder of the gap they still need to close on the world's best.
China's world No. 1 Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping defeated the Malaysian duo 21-10, 21-13 in the French Open final at Arena Grand Paris today.
World No. 31 Pang Ron-Pei Jing earned their shot at the title with an impressive semi-final performance, but couldn't replicate it against the top seeds.
The defeat followed another straight-game loss to Yan Zhe-Dong Ping in last week's Denmark Open semi-finals, where the Chinese pair won 21-13, 21-13.
Across those two meetings, Pang Ron-Pei Jing couldn't take a game off the world No. 1, underscoring the challenge of turning their recent progress into wins over the leading pairs.
Nevertheless, a semi-final appearance in Odense followed by a final in Paris gave the Malaysian independent pair something to build on after two demanding weeks.
Their run to the French Open final included a convincing 21-13, 21-9 victory over China's sixth seeds in the last four.
Earlier, they had battled past Taiwan's Liu Kuang Heng-Hsu Yin Hui in three games before surviving another three-game contest against Germany's Jones Ralfy Jansen-Linda Efler in the quarter-finals.
Those results showed their ability to handle difficult matches, though the final was a much tougher test against the tournament's highest-ranked pair.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing will give winning a title in Europe one more go as they move on to Germany for the Hylo Open beginning on Tuesday.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd