Chong Wei the sole M'sian remaining in men's singles

SHAH ALAM: Malaysia's hopes in the men's singles competition of the Malaysia Open Badminton Championships rests on the shoulders of Datuk Lee Chong Wei as two others were shown the exit Thursday.Chong Wei, the world number three and 10-time winner of the Malaysia Open marched into the quarterfinals after beating Son Wan Ho from South Korea 21-18, 21-12 in his second round match Thursday.

"I approached the match very cautiously because Son Wan Ho will be coming into the match with a lot of confidence after having beaten Lin Dan from China in the India Open last week.

"Son Wan Ho was also in the list of players regarded as title contenders together with Viktor (Axelsen) from Denmark whom I will be playing tomorrow," said Chong Wei.

Chong Wei, 33, said he would have to be at his best Friday to maintain his unbeaten record against the Danish player who was the World Junior champion in 2010. Malaysia's other men's singles player in the competition, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin failed in his bid to move into the quarterfinal after losing 7-21, 16-21 to Denmark's world number five Jan O Jorgensen.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Sabah revenue hits RM6.97 billion: Hajiji says GRS State Government may see full term

Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government continued its momentum in managing the economy in line with the commitment and spirit of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) when it posted record high state revenue of RM6.973 billion last year.

"In the match, Jorgensen put me under pressure early and overall I was not happy with my performance today," said Iskandar.

Malaysia's challenge in the women's singles also fizzled out when Tee Jing Yi failed to match the prowess of world number one Carolina Marin from Spain, losing 13-21, 20-22.

Meanwhile, national mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying upset China's Xu Chen/Ma Jin, ranked fifth in the world to book their spot in the quarterfinals.

Peng Soon/Liu Ying who had clinched the first set 23-12 after a mammoth battle, stunned the Chinese pair and the Chinese camp with a rather easy 21-6 victory in the second.

"The only other time we had beaten the pair was in the Taiwan Open last year but this win is very satisfying.

Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.

Daily Express Malaysia

Actually winning the first set boosted our confidence and spirit," said Liu Ying.

They will face Thailand's Puavaranukroh Dechapol/Sapsiree Taerattanachai who had also pulled off an upset against another Chinese pair, Liu Cheng/Bao Yixin, the world number three, winning 22-20, 18-21, 21-17. – Bernama

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00