Badminton: Nova tells charges to solve Indonesian puzzle

PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, despite greater success over the top five pairs, still find Indonesians Rinov Rivaldy-Pita Haningtyas as their unsolved riddle so far.

World No. 18 Rinov-Pita have beaten ninth-ranked Tang Jie-Ee Wei in all their three meetings – Malaysian and China Masters as well as the Australian Open last year – with two of those defeats suffered in the first round (Malaysian and China Masters).

Tang Jie-Ee Wei will meet the Indonesians in the opening round of the Indian Open in New Delhi from Jan 16-21 and the Malaysians must be careful to avoid another early exit.

National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto has cautioned Tang Jie-Ee Wei not to get trapped into Rinov-Pita’s game plan in order to break the duck.

“Tang Jie-Ee Wei are not their normal self when they play against Rinov-Pita. They have lost all three meetings and it is because they tend to follow the opponent’s rhythm,” said Nova.

“Tang Jie-Ee Wei should take the initiative by playing at a faster pace and should not allow Rinov-Pita to control the game.

“If they can keep this in mind, they can win and aim for better results in the Indian Open.

“They have been preparing well for the Malaysian Open (Jan 9-14) and a good outing in the Axiata Arena should also give them a boost before playing in India.”

Tang Jie-Ee Wei made a strong impact as they have beaten world No. 2 Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino of Japan, world No. 3 Seo Sung-jae of South Korea and China duo Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (No.4) and Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (No. 5).

World No. 1 Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong of China are the only top five pair the Malaysians have yet to beat.

Tang Jie-Ee Wei will also have a tougher passage in the Malaysian Open where they face experienced French pair Thomas Gicquel-Delphine Delrue in the first round.