Seven Malaysian doubles pairs reach French Open second round

Seven Malaysian doubles pairs have reached the second round of the French Open, giving the country a representative in every doubles category at the World Tour Super 750 championships. Malaysia is also guaranteed a women’s doubles quarter-finalist, with its two surviving pairs drawn against each other on Thursday.

Pearly Tan-M Thinaah and Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee both won in straight games at the Arena Grand Paris early on Thursday.

Malaysian women set for second-round meeting

Pearly and Thinaah, who won the Denmark Open last week, beat Turkey’s Bengisu Ercetin-Nazlican Inci 21-11, 21-15. Carmen and Xin Yee defeated home pair Margot Lambert-Camille Pognante 21-11, 21-12.

Both matches lasted 37 minutes. The results put the two Malaysian pairs on the same side of a direct contest for a place in the last eight, rather than separate routes through the second round.

Malaysia’s mixed doubles representatives Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing also progressed, recovering from a game down to beat China’s Gao Jia Xuan-Wu Meng Ying 14-21, 21-15, 21-15 in 46 minutes. They will next face Taiwan’s Liu Kuang Heng-Hsu Yin Hui.

Four men’s pairs remain in contention

World No 4 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik beat China’s He Ji Teng-Ren Xiang Yu 21-15, 21-19 in 37 minutes. Their last-16 opponents will be Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul, who eliminated Malaysia’s Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong 19-21, 21-10, 21-19 after 56 minutes.

Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun also advanced, beating Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi 18-21, 21-15, 21-17 in 55 minutes. The win followed their first-round exit at the Denmark Open last week, and sets up another match against Japanese opposition in Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi.

Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King had already secured their second-round places with opening wins on Tuesday. Sze Fei and Izzuddin will meet Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard, while Aaron and Roy King face South Korea’s world No 1 pair Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae.

Doubles carry Malaysia’s hopes forward

The seven surviving pairs comprise four in men’s doubles, two in women’s doubles and one in mixed doubles. None of Malaysia’s singles players reached the second round, leaving the country’s remaining French Open challenge entirely with its doubles players.

The women’s doubles meeting will secure one Malaysian place in the quarter-finals. Elsewhere, the pairs must win their next matches to extend Malaysia’s involvement in the tournament.