Malaysian Mixed Doubles Badminton Team Wins 2023 Orléans Masters
Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei nailed the finals after defeating Taiwan's Ye Hong Wei and Lee Chia Hsin.
Malaysia's mixed doubles badminton team has once again made the country proud by being the first Malaysian players to win the Orléans Masters title at the 2023 Orléans Masters Badminton Championship
The tournament took place in Palais des Sport, Orléans, France, concluding on Sunday, 9 April, after a five-day run.
Malaysian mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei advanced to the finals after defeating Indonesia's Rehal Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati in the semi-finals with a score of 21-10 and 21-16.
The pair then went against Taiwan's Ye Hong Wei and Lee Chia Hsin in the finals, winning with a score of 21-19 and 21-17 in 35 minutes.
According to a report by Free Malaysia Today, this marks Chen and Toh's first Badminton World Federation (BWF) title. They are also the first Malaysians to win the Orléans Masters title.
Toh Ee Wei (left) and Chen Tang Jie holding their trophies during the award ceremony in Orléans, France.
Image via Astro Awani
The pair was formed in November 2022 and are currently ranked 26th in the world
As reported by Bernama, Chen and Toh had already proven that they were a force to be reckoned with when they defeated Thai pair Phatharatorn Nipornram and Alisa Sapniti with a score of 21-15 and 21-13 at the 2022 Bangladesh International Challenge.
They succeeded once again earlier this year by winning the 2023 Iran International Challenge, defeating fellow Malaysian pair, Hoo Pang Ron and Teoh Mei Xing, with scores of 21-19 and 21-15.
Following their win in France, the duo took to Instagram to express gratitude towards the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), and their coaches Nova Widianto and Rexy Mainaky.
"Despite all the doubts and naysayers that we encountered, we won our first World Tour Super 300," Chen shared on his post, "The sweat and tears that we had shed have brought us our victory."
The win meant a lot to the duo, especially Toh, who returned to badminton in 2020 following a chronic sinus surgery in 2018. She went on another short hiatus in 2021 after being hospitalised for bone tuberculosis, as mentioned in her Instagram post.
Despite her illnesses, the athlete persisted against all odds, and felt that it had all paid off after the win in France. Her strength and determination have earned her the nickname 'Little Gangster'.
Earlier this year, Malaysian badminton player Ng Tze Yong made headlines by defeating World No. 1 player Viktor Axelsen:
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