Denmark Open Premier Super Series: Tan Wee Kiong-Hoon Thien How reserve their berth in quarter-final
Malaysia’s Tan Wee Kiong and Hoon Thien How continue their fabulous run in the 2011 Denmark Open Premier Super Series as they have reserved their berth in the Men’s Doubles quarter-final.
In the round-of-16, Wee Kiong and Thien How played terrific badminton against Indonesia’s Hendra Gunawan and Alven Yulianto and won the battle on Thursday, October 20, in Denmark. The Malaysian duo finished up the match in straight games by working well
for just 37 minutes in the court.
The Indonesians were the favourites for the match on paper but the impressive performance of the Malaysian pair turned the table as they showed no mercy to their rivals and won the match in a scintillating fashion.
Both pairs opened the game in a fast and attacking manner and remained close until the break. Their powerful smashes coupled with superb defensive strokes grabbed the attention of the local crowd. At the break, the Malaysians were slightly ahead of their
opponents.
After the break, Wee Kiong and Thien How accelerated their speed by playing dominating badminton at the net. Their aggressive approach helped them to win the first set with a decent difference of 21-18 in 19 minutes.
The second set of this pre-quarter-final battle, both sides played well but the Malaysians remained dominant most of the time. Their positive and fast play helped them to establish a decent gap in the opening half of the set.
After the interval, Wee Kiong and Thien How continued their flawless run against the shaky Indonesians and won the second game with a margin of 21-17 by taking 18 minutes in the court. The concluding result of this 37-minute battle was 21-18 and 21-17.
After the match, Thien How said, “I hurt my knee during the qualifying tournament. It hurts when I lunge forward ... but it won’t stop me from giving my best here.”
While Wee Kiong said, “I am confident we can take this partnership further now. There is better understanding between us.”
In the quarter-final, the Malaysian duo will be up against the World Number One and top seeds Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China.
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