Tang Jie-Ee Wei's commendable show one of the positives for Malaysia

The Star

02-05-2025

Tough foes: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei were unable to overcome China's Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping, losing 17-21, 17-21.
PETALING JAYA: It wasn't all doom and gloom.
While Malaysia's early exit from the Sudirman Cup badminton tournament after failing to reach the semi-finals raised plenty of concerns, there were still some positives to take away from the campaign.
One of them was the performance of mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who stood out with a commendable showing despite earlier tension in their partnership.
In Xiamen, they were fielded against Australia's Ricky Tang-Gronya Somerville in the group stage and delivered a convincing 21-8, 21-12 win.
They also contributed a vital point in Malaysia's tense group tie against Japan, overcoming Hiroki Midorikawa-Arisa Higashino 21-19, 21-18 in the final Group C match.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei were once again called upon in the last-eight clash against China. Despite showing great fighting spirit, they were unable to overcome world No. 2 duo Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping, losing 17-21, 17-21.
Ee Wei admitted that unforced errors proved costly in their quarter-final defeat.
'We made too many simple mistakes, and they took advantage of it by putting us under pressure. That's something we really need to learn from,' she said. 'I'm thankful to all the fans who supported us, whether in the stadium or back home in Malaysia. We truly appreciate it. It's unfortunate that we couldn't contribute a point in this match, but we'll keep fighting.'
Tensions between Tang Jie and Ee Wei came to light shortly after the All-England in March, when their strained partnership drew the attention of the coaching staff, leading to a temporary split.
Ahead of the tournament in Xiamen, mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto had hinted that both players could be paired with different partners. After all, Malaysia had also brought along two other combinations — Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin.
But following a five-week cooling-off period and an ultimatum from Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh regarding their status in the elite Road to Gold programme, Tang Jie and Ee Wei agreed to reunite and patch things up.
'There's still a lot for us to improve on. To be able to deliver in critical matches for the country, we need to continue learning — both about ourselves and our opponents,' said Ee Wei.
For now, the pair will go their separate ways once again at the Taiwan Open starting next Tuesday, with Tang Jie partnering Wong Vin Sean in the men's doubles and Ee Wei teaming up with Loo Bing Kun in the mixed doubles.
Tang Jie and Vin Sean are set to face Czech pair Jiri Kral-Ondrej Kral in the qualifying round, while Ee Wei and Bing Kun will take on Indonesia's Adnan Maulana-Indah Cahya Sari Jamil in the first round.