MALAYSIA OPEN 2014 R16 – Defending champions out

Men’s doubles defending champions and first seeds Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan were forced to leave the grounds when 2012 champion Lee Sheng Mu came back with a different partner – Tsai Chia Hsin – to clear their way through the tournament. Chen Long was again troubled by a qualifier, Wei Nan of Hong Kong, before managing to get through to the next round.

By Ooi Ee Lyn, Badzine Correspondent live in Kuala Lumpur. Photos: Yves Lacroix for Badmintonphoto (live)

Lee Sheng Mu won the men’s doubles title in Malaysia in 2012 with Fang Chieh Min. He was absent from the tournament in 2013, and is now back to challenge the event with a different partner – Tsai Chia Hsin (pictured).  Lee/Tsai defeated two Indonesians in a row to enter the quarter-finals, one of them being the top seeds and defending champions Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan (pictured).

“We were more relaxed today. We’ve lost to them thrice, and it would have been our fourth loss if we’d lost again today, so we basically had nothing to be afraid of. We just played our best,” said Lee Sheng Mu.

Despite having won the title in 2012, Lee said, “I don’t actually have a goal this time. I just want to do my best. If I’ve done my best, then it’s okay even if I lose.”

The pair from Chinese Taipei will face Hiroyuki Endo / Kenichi Hayakawa in the quarter-finals on Friday to fight for a spot in the semi-finals of this Superseries Premier event.

Wei Nan wei nan Chen Long

After barely making it past the match against Lee Dong Keun yesterday, Chen Long (pictured) was wei nan-ed (“embarrassed” in Mandarin) by world #60 Wei Nan (pictured) of Hong Kong, who – like Lee – came into the tournament through the qualifying rounds.

The spectators were cheering with every point won by the 30-year-old from Hong Kong, and some even threw comments at Chen Long for not playing well.  There was no opportunity for a final cheer for Wei, however, as he was unable to earn his own match point, despite saving 3 before going down 23-25 in the third game.

Chen, who is now known for setting time limits to post-match interviews, said, “I guess perhaps the fans in Malaysia want me to lose. But it’s good that I get to feel the atmosphere here.”

The world #2 then turned serious and explained: “Actually, it’s normal for one to get wins and losses at an Open. Also, it’s a fact that I did not play well today. I’m not feeling well due to the change of climate from Korea to Malaysia. I have not trained for two days, and my condition isn’t very good.”

Earlier in the evening, Tai Tzu Ying gave in to her cold, and retired from the match against Bellaetrix Manuputty of Indonesia, allowing the Indonesian an opportunity to play against Olympic gold medallist Li Xuerui in the quarter-finals.

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