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KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s doubles pair Anna Cheong-Teoh Mei Xing were denied entry into the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters today at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.
The 37th ranked duo fell into the hands of South Korea’s Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong – number 11 in the world – in straight sets 21-14, 21-18 in 44 minutes.
Mei Xing told reporters after the match that she has been coping with a shoulder injury since the tournament started.
“We are pulling out of the Singapore Open (next week) because I have a minor injury on my shoulder.
“I felt the pain when I played yesterday too, but I just have to hang in there,” she said.
Anna-Mei Xing had recently defeated another higher ranked pair than today’s opponent, including world number six Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara in the last 16 round yesterday.
Despite feeling happy with their performances so far, Anna added that there are more areas to improve to stay consistent.
“We could feel that we are still lacking in a few areas in our gameplay today. It’s as if our opponent could read our moves.
“However, we do learn how to handle the pressure when we are leading and overcome our mistakes. These are lessons that only we could get from participating in tournaments like these,” Anna said.
Now, it is up to the second pair – Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah – to carry the hope of Malaysians to win the title for the first time since 2012, which was won by Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty.
Their game is estimated to be played at 7.15pm, against Indonesia’s Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti. – The Vibes, July 8, 2022
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