Mixed doubles Hoo Pang Ron-Cheah Yee See have smashed themselves into the limelight by reaching the semi-finals of the Toyota Thailand Open.
The World No 35 were in imperious form as they showed great determination to score a stunning 12-21, 21-19, 21-19 upset win over eighth-ranked Hafiz Faizal-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja of Indonesia at the Impact Arena in Bangkok yesterday.
Playing in their first BWF Tour Super 1000 quarter-finals, Pang Ron-Yee See, who are ranked only fourth in Malaysia, displayed nerves of steel to down the Indonesians in 68 minutes.
It is a massive breakthrough for Pang Ron-Yee See as this is the first time they have claimed a scalp over a top-10 pair.
They face World No 6 Seo Seung Jae-Chae Yujung of South Korea in the semi-finals today.
The fourth-seeded Koreans booked their spot in the last four by beating Thai pair Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran 24-22, 21-18.
"We were struggling in the first game as we had not played on this court and the drift was quite different," said Pang Ron yesterday.
"However, we slowly found our rhythm in the second and third games, and we were able to execute our shots well.
"Even though we were physically not as strong as them, I think we got our tactics right today.
"On top of that, Yee See's speed at the net also made the difference.
"Going into the semi-finals, there is no pressure on us because we are the underdogs.
"We are just hoping to do well and bring something back to Malaysia."
Pang Ron-Yee See's breakthrough made up for the disappointing exit of World No 7 Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying yesterday.
The Olympic silver medallists were left to rue wasted opportunities as they bowed out 18-21, 24-22, 22-20 to India's S. Rankireddy-Ashwini Ponnappa.
Meanwhile, World No 14 Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean progressed into the women's doubles semi-finals at the expense of compatriots Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah.
The national No 1 were in control from the start as they claimed an impressive 22-20, 21-12 win over World No 39 Pearly-Thinaah.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallists play fourth seeds Kim So Yeong-Kong Hee Yong of South Korea in the last four.
World No 25 Vivian Hoo-Yap Cheng Wen, however, crashed out following a 21-13, 21-16 defeat to South Korea's Lee So Hee-Shin Seung Chan.