Malaysian Pair Hoo-Woon Move Into Semis In New Zealand Open

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) – Malaysia's top women's doubles pair Vivian Hoo Kah Mun/Woon Khe Wei continued their sizzling performance to advance to the semifinals of the New Zealand Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Tournament in Auckland, Friday. The 2017 SEA Games-bound shuttlers defeated young Chinese pair Qiao Shijun/Zhang Shuxian 21-7, 21-16 the quarterfinals held at the North Shore Events Centre, according to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website; www.bwfbadminton.com. National men's doubles pair Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi received stiff competition from seventh seeds Liao Min Chun/Cheng Heng Su of Taiwan before emerging with a 19-21, 21-14, 21-16 win in another quarterfinal match. Two other Malaysian representatives, however, were shown the exit after losing to their respective opponents, especially women's doubles pair Joyce Choong Wai Chi/Goh Yea Ching who put up a commendable fight before losing 30-28, 11-21, 20-22 to fourth seeds Ayako Sakuramoto/Yukiko Takahata of Japan. The only Malaysian survivor in the women’s singles, Ho Yen Mei lost to the second seed in the tournament, Fitriani Fitriani of Indonesia 21-9, 10-21, 13-21 while Malaysia's challenge in the men's singles and mixed doubles events had fizzled out on Thursday. -- BERNAMA