KUALA LUMPUR: New year, new hairdos, and a fresh start for mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
The Malaysian world No. 9 exacted revenge over Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue today, and reached the second round of the Petronas Malaysia Open.
They lost to the French pair in the China Open semi-finals last year.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei, who sported bright orange hairdos, scored a sensational 21-17, 21-18 win at the Axiata Arena.
Attributing their success to hard work and good preparation in the past couple of weeks, Ee Wei said: "I'm happy because we got to bring out our game today.
"We trained hard the past couple weeks and even argued a lot, but it was all worth it. On the court during tournaments, we make it right."
Tang Jie said playing in front of home fans was always a huge motivation for him and Ee Wei.
"Coming into the new year, and the first tournament on the World Tour, everybody wants to win. For us, it meant so much more because we're playing at home.
"Of course, we were more confident today and the braver pair, but the home ground advantage helped us a lot," Tang Jie said.
The Malaysians, who surprised everyone by reaching the quarter-finals in their debut last year, will play the winner of the match between Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito and Americans Vinson Chiu-Jennie Gai, next.