Malaysia’s mixed doubles pair Jimmy Wong and Cheng Su Yin narrowly missed out on another upset victory over world No.1 duo Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping after bowing out in the opening round of the Indonesia Open on Tuesday.
Competing at the iconic Istora Senayan in Jakarta, the newly-formed Malaysian partnership put up a spirited fight but ultimately fell 19-21, 18-21 to the top-seeded Chinese pair in a closely contested 45-minute encounter.
Despite the defeat, Jimmy and Su Yin once again demonstrated their growing potential by pushing the 2024 Asian champions all the way and refusing to allow the world’s top-ranked pair an easy passage into the second round.
The Malaysians, who entered the tournament as unseeded players, matched their more experienced opponents point for point throughout much of the contest and repeatedly kept the scores level during a tense opening game.
However, Feng and Huang showed their class during the crucial stages to edge the first set 21-19 and gain valuable momentum heading into the second.
“Today they looked much more prepared. They are also a more experienced pair, so they were more consistent during the important points,” Jimmy told the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after the match.
The Chinese duo maintained control for much of the second game and prevented the Malaysians from taking the lead. Nevertheless, Jimmy and Su Yin continued to apply pressure and stayed within striking distance throughout the set.
The national pair fought hard in an attempt to force a deciding game but were unable to complete the comeback as Feng and Huang sealed victory with a 21-18 win in the second set.
The match marked the second meeting between the two pairs within a week.
In their previous encounter at last week’s Singapore Open, Jimmy and Su Yin stunned the badminton world by defeating the world No.1 pair 23-21, 21-16 in the opening round.
Although their Indonesia Open campaign ended earlier than hoped, the encouraging performance against one of the sport’s strongest partnerships will provide plenty of confidence for the young Malaysian pair moving forward.
