Tang Jie-Wen Tse advance as Soon Huat-Shevon win Denmark Open openers

Chen Tang Jie-Chan Wen Tse reached the Denmark Open mixed doubles second round in Odense, beating fellow Malaysians Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin 21-19, 21-16. Independent pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai also advanced, defeating Americans Chen Zhi Yi-Francesca Corbett 21-15, 21-13.

For Tang Jie and Wen Tse, the result was their second successive opening-round win on the European tour as a temporary partnership. Soon Huat and Shevon, meanwhile, bounced back from a first-round exit at last week’s Arctic Open, although Shevon said the busy schedule was taking its toll.

Temporary pairing finds another opening win

Tang Jie has been without regular partner Toh Ee Wei since she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury at the Singapore Open in May. His reunion with Wen Tse has now produced opening-round victories in Finland and Denmark.

At the Arctic Open last week, they beat compatriots Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing 21-15, 21-16 before losing 21-15, 21-14 to China’s world No. 1 pair Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping in the second round. Their latest win gives them another opportunity to move beyond that stage.

Shevon addresses the physical demands

Despite a comfortable opening victory in Odense, Shevon said the recent Asian Games and the continuing tournament schedule had left little time to recover.

“Honestly, it’s quite tough because there’s no break for us. The Asian Games and then here, but no excuses. Everyone is going through the same thing, so it’s how we need to pace ourselves,” she said in a post-match interview.

Shevon also stressed the importance of managing their physical condition. “Definitely no injury for us now. Every tournament we finish without any injuries, without any accidents, that’s the most grateful part of it,” she said.

“Winning or losing, finishing early or late, I think that’s secondary now for us. We just want to enjoy and really do well.”

Second-round opponents await

Tang Jie and Wen Tse will face either Indonesia’s Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina Marwah or China’s sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa-Chen Fang Hui for a place in the quarter-finals.

Soon Huat and Shevon, the world No. 10 pair, face Denmark’s world No. 3 and third seeds Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje in their second-round match. Both Malaysian pairs have cleared their opening hurdles in Odense; their next matches will determine whether they can extend their Denmark Open campaigns.