Badminton: Hong Kong’s Tang and Tse show they are still a force to be reckoned with despite losing in Indonesia Open semis
- Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet show glimpses of rediscovering their top form as they go down fighting at the Indonesia Open.
- Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino prevail but Hong Kong coach still happy to see his charges reach last four after dip in form
Hong Kong badminton mixed doubles duo Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet showed glimpses of rediscovering their top form despite losing in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open on Saturday.
At the US$1.25 million tournament in Jakarta – one of the three highest-paying events of the year along with the All England Open and China Open – Tang and Tse put up a close fight against Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino of Japan before exiting after three games.
Watanabe and Higashino, who also beat the Hong Kong pair in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics, registered a 22-20, 11-21, 21-16 win after an hour long battle.
As a result, the Japanese pair extended their head-to-head win over Tang and Tse to 11-1, but head coach Tim He Yiming was still happy to see his charges reach the last four at a big event.
“There have been doubts over Tang and Tse, if they could return to the highest level,” the coach said. “But their performance in Jakarta reassured everyone they are still a major force to be reckoned with.
“They can always meet the training requirements and in competition they can get into each match very quickly. It shows they have regained their form and confidence, and we can look forward to some better performances in the second half of the year.”