Pang Ron and Pei Jing reach French Open semis after Paris battle

Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing reached the French Open semi-finals on Friday with a 21–17, 20–22, 21–18 win over Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen at Arena Grand Paris. The result gave Pang Ron consecutive last-four appearances for the first time in his career, following the pair’s Denmark Open run last week.

Pang Ron and Pei Jing had to recover after narrowly losing the second game to their quarter-final opponents. Pang Ron credited Pei Jing’s reassurance with helping him play confidently and keep their title bid alive.

Trust through a tight contest

“She gave me more confidence and asked me to do whatever I wanted to do, and she would follow me,” Pang Ron said in a post-match interview. “Even when I played some shots wrongly, she said it was okay and that we could still do it.”

Pei Jing said the quarter-final had demanded attention on every point. “It was really point for point throughout the match. We were trying to focus on every single shot, what we had to do and our strategy,” she said.

Pang Ron said he was happy to reach consecutive semi-finals. “I’m really happy. This is our first time reaching consecutive semi-finals. I’ve never done this in my career before, so thanks to my partner,” he said.

Three matches, three deciders

Every Pang Ron–Pei Jing victory in Paris has gone to a third game. They began by recovering from a game down to beat China’s Gao Jia Xuan and Wu Meng Ying 14–21, 21–15, 21–15.

On Thursday, they defeated Taiwan’s Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin Hui 21–13, 13–21, 21–17. Their quarter-final then brought another close finish, with Seidel and Nguyen pushing them after the narrow second game.

The German pair had arrived at that match after eliminating Malaysia’s Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai, followed by China’s second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, in the opening two rounds.

A place in the final at stake

Pang Ron and Pei Jing will face China’s sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Cheng Fang Hui next, with the winners advancing to the French Open final. It will be another test for a pair whose three Paris wins have all required a deciding game.

“But we have to keep focusing on the next match,” Pang Ron said after securing his career milestone.