Analyzing 3 new Malaysian pairs at the Japan Open

Three new Malaysian pairings saw action at the just concluded Japan Open, and Stadium Astro takes a look at how they fared at the Super 750 event.

Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin

Playing together in only their fifth tournament, Wong and Cheng almost provided the fairytale run of the Japan Open after the pair reached the semi-finals.

The world number 118 pair had stunned two top five pairs – France’s Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue and Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje to reach the last four.

Wong-Cheng were also four points from reaching the final, but their inexperience costed them against seasoned Hong Kong pair Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet.

It was nonetheless a gallant performance which they can look to emulate for the rest of the season.

Soh Wooi Yik-Man Wei Chong

This pair made their debut at the Japan Open, and crashed out in the first round.

But it was not a demoralizing defeat after the Malaysians lost in three close games to Chinese Taipei’s world number 18 pair Lee Fang-jen-Lee Fang-chih 23-21, 17-21, 16-21.

Taking into account Man is still asserting himself back into contention after a long injury layoff and both men needing to find chemistry with each other, the only way is up for them.

Chen Tang Jie-Clarissa San

Chen, whose regular partner Toh Ee Wei is currently undergoing rehabilitation after suffering an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, partnered teenager Clarissa San for the first time at Japan Open.

The scratch pairing lost in straight games against a Chinese Taipei pair.

Unlike several national doubles’ reshuffling done by the Badminton Association of Malaysia to get the best combinations for the 2028 Olympics, the partnership of Chen-San is seen as a temporary one until Toh is ready for competitive action.

So for these two, it’s about finding the best chemistry and doing their best as any good performance and results will be seen as a bonus.