KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — The inability to dictate an attacking tempo early in the deciding set came costly for national mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who bowed out at the quarter-final stage of the Malaysia Open 2026 at the Axiata Arena today.
The reigning world champions went down 17-21, 21-17, 10-21 to Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet in a hard-fought encounter that lasted 67 minutes.
“I think we tried our best, but at the start of the rubber set, we could not keep up the attacking tempo in our favour,” Chen said, adding that the Hong Kong pair were more experienced.
The defeat saw Chen-Toh tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head record against the Hong Kong duo, with their last meeting ending in victory for the Malaysians at the French Open 2025 in October.
When asked whether they were disappointed at failing to reach the semi-finals after achieving the feat at last year’s edition, Toh said it was normal to feel disappointed, but accepted it as part of the sport.
She also appreciated the support from fans who had flocked to the arena to watch them play from the very first day of the tournament.
Chen-Toh will next compete at the India Open 2025 from January 13 to January 18.
