January 12, 2023
Both English doubles pairs fell at the first hurdle against strong opposition at the Malaysia Open.
Ben Lane and Sean Vendy were up against BWF World Tour Finals champions Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi in the men’s doubles first round and narrowly lost out over two closely-fought games.
The opener saw the English duo win six unanswered points to turn a 13-9 deficit into a 15-13 lead but Liu and Ou hit back and claimed two decisive consecutive points at 18-18, eventually taking it 21-19.
Undeterred, Lane and Vendy started the second game strongly and led by three points on three separate occasions only to again be pegged back by the determined Chinese pair.
A nip-and-tuck game went to 20-20 and then 22-22, at which point Liu and Ou pulled away to seal their progress.
In the women’s doubles, Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith took on fifth seeds Jeong Na Eun and Kim Hye Jeong and were quickly on the back foot, going 12-6 behind.
Three straight points closed the gap in a competitive first game but the South Korean duo kept Birch and Smith at arm’s length, closing out the opening game 21-16 and taking the second 21-11 to book their place in the second round.
Attentions now turn to New Delhi, which is hosting the YONEX Sunrise India Open from next Tuesday and offers Lane and Vendy a chance for instant revenge, the pair having again been drawn against Liu and Ou in the first round.
