'Break-up? What break-up?': Tang Jie-Ee Wei show fire in Singapore

New Straits Times

27-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: A lot has changed since Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei last walked off the court together as a pair in March, but on Tuesday at the Singapore Open, they showed the fire was far from gone.
In their first match back on the World Tour since parting ways after the All England, Tang Jie-Ee Wei looked like a pair with unfinished business.
Their 21-18, 21-15 win over Americans Presley Smith-Jennie Gai wasn't just about clearing the opening hurdle.
It was about making a statement, they're back.
Despite a promising start to the year - reaching the semi-finals at both the Malaysia Open and Indonesia Masters - the pair stumbled in Europe, suffering early exits at the Orleans Masters and All England.
The results prompted a surprise decision to split, with both going on to partner different teammates at the Taiwan Open and Malaysia Masters.
Tang Jie even dabbled in men's doubles during the Taiwan stop, which proved a valuable learning experience.
"The speed is different, but I was able to pick up some insights on how to better protect my woman's partner in mixed doubles," said Tang Jie.
"We're still trying to get better, there's still a lot more to be adjusted."
Ee Wei admitted the chemistry is still a work-in-progress, but took heart in their strong return.
"We did pretty well considering it's been a while. We're trying to regain momentum and experimenting with new things on court. We'll take it one match at a time and let the results come naturally," she said.
Interestingly, world No. 4 Tang Jie also today reclaimed their position as Malaysia's top-ranked mixed doubles - a status they last held in February.
Their return to the national No. 1 spot was made possible after Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai's first-round loss in Kuala Lumpur last week saw them slip from No. 3 to No. 5 in the latest world rankings.
Next up for Tang Jie-Ee Wei is a second-round clash against Taiwan's Ye Hong Wei-Nicole Gonzales Chan - a favourable matchup as they eye another fine run in the Super 750 event, where they were semi-finalists in 2023.
Meanwhile, Soon Huat-Shevon are doing everything they can to wrestle back lost ground.
The 2018 Singapore Open champions were efficient in their opener, dispatching Ukraine's Oleksii Titov-Yevheniia Kantemyr 21-11, 21-8 in just 21 minutes.
But sterner tests await. A tough second-round clash against China's Feng Yan Zhe-Wei Ya Xin could prove decisive in their efforts to reclaim lost momentum.
The day ended in heartbreak for Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien, though not for a lack of effort.
The world No. 33 pushed Thailand's world No. 8 Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran to the limit before going down 19-21, 21-19, 22-20.