KUALA LUMPUR: Professional men's pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi's hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics are as good as over.
This follows after the world No. 12 were eliminated in the first round of the French Open at the Adidas Arena — the same venue that will stage the Olympics in July.
Up against world No. 1 Indians Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, Yew Sin-Ee Yi, the German Open semi-finalists last week, put up a spirited fight before losing 21-13, 24-22.
It was a remarkable effort from Yew Sin-Ee Yi, given that they were 17-10 down at one point during the second game.
They fought back gallantly to put the game back all square at 18-all before saving match point twice at 20-19 and 22-21.
But Satwiksairaj-Chirag, who're in fresher condition after skipping last week's event, proved to be the better pair of the day as they clinched the next two rallies to walk away victorious.
The defeat to Satwiksairaj-Chirag was Yew Sin-Ee Yi's third in as many battles.
They also lost twice last year to the Hangzhou Asian Games gold medallists during the Badminton Asia Championships final and Swiss Open semi-finals.
With the early exit, Yew Sin-Ee Yi are now left with just four tournaments to pull off a miracle in their quest for an Olympic debut.
It's still mathematically possible for them to crack the top eight of the Race to Paris from their current 13th position, provided they win all their remaining tournaments comprising next week's All England, Swiss Open, Spain Masters, and Asia Championships.
Meanwhile, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun faced little trouble in clearing their opening hurdle.
The world No. 18 Wei Chong-Kai Wun barely broke a sweat as they wrapped up a comprehensive 21-16, 21-8 win over Kevin Lee-Ty Alexander Lindeman of Canada in just 25 minutes.