Malaysian doubles shuttlers Wei Chong-Kai Wun defend Taiwan Open title

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — National men’s doubles duo Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun defended their Taiwan Open title by defeating home pair Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han in the final today.

It was no easy task for the 23rd-ranking pair in the world, however, as it took over an hour and three sets to defeat the Taiwanese at the University of Taipei’s Tian Mu Arena.

The Malaysians started off cautiously and were made to slog by the home pair, losing 20-22 the team ranked 15th in the world.

But the tournament’s fifth seeds switched to a more aggressive playing style in the second set to secure a much-deserved 21-17 victory.

In the rubber set, Wei Chong-Kai Wun raced to an 11-6 lead and maintained their composure to win it 21-14, thus repeating the feat they achieved against 2020 Tokyo Olympic Gold medallists Lee Yang-Wang Chi Lin in last year’s edition.

The Malaysians collected US$16,590 (RM77,562) in prize money, while the runners-up got US$7,980 (RM37,308).

Earlier, national mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei also successfully claimed their second world tour title at the tournament.