KUALA LUMPUR: National top mixed pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will have to rediscover their winning formula if they are to head to the Paris Olympics as serious contenders.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei's poor run continued when they were beaten 21-19, 21-16 by Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the second round of the India Open in New Delhi today.
World No. 9 Tang Jie and Ee Wei have now failed to make the quarter-finals in their last three World Tour starts, including last week's season-opening Malaysia Open.
They also failed to progress from the group stage of the
World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last month.
A second straight early exit meant Tang Jie-Ee Wei have not delivered on their pledge to make amends following last week's disappointment.
In the wake of Malaysian shuttlers' shambolic performance on home soil, Tang Jie was among those who took to social media to apologise and promise to return stronger in the upcoming tournaments.
"Of course, we're frustrated with the result, but that's competition where winning and losing is part and parcel of our life as athletes," Tang Jie told BWF when asked about how he felt following two early exits in successive weeks.
"We have to start catching up and not dwell on the past."
Ee Wei chipped in: "We still have the Indonesia Masters and Thailand Masters ahead of us. Between now and then, we will be training hard and starting afresh."
Independent pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai kept Malaysia's challenge alive in the mixed doubles after fending off the stiff challenge of China's newcomers Cheng Xing-Zhang Qi.
Soon Huat and Shevon won 26-24, 21-10, setting up the next meeting with world No. 5 Jiang Zheng Bang-Wei Ya Xin.
Soon Huat-Shevon can certainly count their lucky stars to have avoided a potential last 16 encounter with world No. 1 Huang Ya Qiong-Zheng Si Wei, who had withdrawn, but it would not count for anything if they don't take their chances.
"The Chinese pair, even the emerging ones, have always held a certain standard as they possess good individual abilities. So the win we earned against our opponents today was definitely not an easy one," said Shevon.
"The quarter-final is definitely going to be tougher, but we've made it this far, and we want to just keep pushing forward as much as possible."
Soon Huat-Shevon have not defeated Jiang Zheng Bang and Wei Ya Xin in all three previous clashes, including being narrowly defeated by the latter pair in the Swiss Open title match in March last year.
In the women's doubles, Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien failed to advance following their 21-11, 15-21, 21-10 defeat to Hong Kong's Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam.