KUALA LUMPUR: Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi are determined to seek swift revenge against Japan's Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi after being outclassed in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Open on Friday.
Despite the resounding cheers from the fans at Axiata Arena, Yew Sin-Ee Yi suffered a 21-15, 21-9 loss to world No. 7 Hoki-Kobayashi, marking their eighth defeat in 10 meetings.
The outcome was decidedly anticlimactic, especially considering the defeat came just 24 hours after Yew Sin-Ee Yi triumphed in a thrilling last-16 battle against Denmark's fourth seeds, Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.
While reaching the quarter-finals is a decent start to the new season, Ee Yi expressed his disappointment.
"For me, this is just not good enough. It's disheartening because we aspired to go further than this," said Ee Yi.
Ee Yi explained that the pair were caught off guard by the sharpness of their opponents, who are coached by former Malaysian international Tan Kim Her, particularly in the first three shots (serve, service return, and third shot).
"We lost the match because of the first three shots. It's supposed to be our strong point," said Ee Yi.
"It forced us to change our game plan, but nothing worked. Hoki-Kobayashi proved exactly why they are among the world's best."
With a prompt rematch scheduled at the India Open next week, Yew Sin is determined to make amends.
"We will face them again next week, presenting us with another opportunity to get things right," said Yew Sin.
"We will prepare better and come up with a plan to overcome them."