Reigning world mixed doubles champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei fell short of reaching the Denmark Open final after losing to China’s world No 1 pair Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin in a thrilling three-game battle.
The Malaysian duo, ranked world No 4, fought hard for every point but eventually went down 17–21, 21–18, 18–21 in a 64-minute encounter at Arena Fyn in Odense, Denmark.
The Chinese pair have now defeated the Malaysians four times in six meetings.
Despite the loss, Tang Jie-Ee Wei will take home US$13,300 (RM56,200) for reaching the semi-finals.
The Chinese pair will meet either Japanese duo Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito or compatriots Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping in the final tomorrow.
Despite the setback, Tang Jie-Ee Wei are in a strong position to be one of the top eight qualifiers for the World Tour Finals Super 1000 championships to be held in China in December.
They have made two final and seven semi-final appearances so far this season. They created badminton history by being the first Malaysian mixed doubles pair to win the prestigious World Championships title in August.
The Denmark Open, a BWF World Tour Super 750 event, offers a total of US$950,000 in prize money.
