Peng Soon and Liu Ying humbled in opening match

TOKYO – National mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying made life difficult for themselves in Group D after going down fighting 18-21, 21-10, 16-21 to Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet in a match that lasted an hour.

After losing the first game, the world number seven pair found an extra spring in their steps and sizzled with a fast and aggressive display to extend the match into a decider.

However, in the nail-biting set, the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallists found themselves outwitted by Tang-Tse, who have now beaten them five times in a row.

Peng Soon-Liu Ying have only beaten Tang-Tse once in six meetings – in their first clash at the 2016 Chinese Taipei Open – while their most significant defeat was in the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Championships.

The Malaysian pair will now face Germany’s Marks Lamfuss-Isabel Herttrich tomorrow before wrapping up their group fixtures with a daunting task against world number two Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping of China on Monday. – Bernama July 24, 2021