2012 China Open: Koo Kien Keat, Tan Boon Heong gain access to Men’s Doubles quarter-finals
Malaysia’s spirited duo Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong advanced to the round of eight in Li Ning China Open after beating Liu Xiaolong-Qiu Zihan in the second round on November 15, 2012.
This pre quarter-final tussle lasted for 42 minutes and both teams entertained the local crowd of Shanghai while piling up decisive figures of 21-8 and 21-19.
World Number four duo Kien Keat-Boon Heong employed their valuable experience of the preliminary rounds and sealed a straight-set win in a commendable manner.
Meanwhile, Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan who had huge support of the audience could not capitalise the home ground advantage and crashed out of this Super Series event.
First sign of trouble came for the Chinese pair when the twosome of Kien Keat and Boon Heong established an unassailable lead with five consecutive points.
The Malaysian duo mounted pressure with 5-0 total and then magnified the impact by reaching a commanding position of 11-6.
Both partners did not lose focus even after the one-minute interval and widened the gap by prevailing in a few back-to-back rallies.
At first, they strengthened their grip with 17-6 total and then swept the table with a convincing margin of 21-8.
However, the second set was not a one-sided affair like the previous one as the Chinese team showed a transformed character and earned great deal of admiration for their honest effort.
Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan matched their rivals’ skills and stood toe-to-toe all the way to game point situation.
In the first half of the set, the twosome of Kien Keat and Boon Heong looked in prime touch as they did not give opponents even a single chance to proceed and put a decent figure of 11-5.
After the mid-game break, the opposing team struck hard and tipped the scale in their favour. The Men’s Doubles experts Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan made a swift progress and levelled the score with 15-15.
However, they failed to carry this rhythm and allowed Kien Keat-Boon Heong to save some honour with 21-19 margin.
Now the Malaysian pair will be up against Hung Ling Chen-Chia Bin Lu in the quarter-final round.
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