Hong Kong pair’s quarter-finals curse strikes again, as Tang and Tse crash out of Singapore Open
- The fourth seeds lead in all three games but go down to Malaysian opponents for first time since 2018
- Head coach Tim He blames lapse of concentration on big points for causing defeat
Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet crashed out of another tournament at the quarter-final stage on Friday, this time to Malaysian opponents who had never beaten them.
The mixed doubles world No 7s lost for the third time in the last eight this season, as they went down 2-1 to Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai at the Singapore Open.
To make matters worse, the Hong Kong pair were leading in all three games and somehow still managed to lose 20-22, 21-16, 18-21 in little more than an hour.
The fourth seeds had every opportunity to beat their opponents, who they had not lost to in five previous encounters dating back to 2018, but head coach Tim He Yiming said his players lacked concentration when it mattered.
“It seems they suffered a lapse of concentration in the big points,” He said. “They were leading in all three games but were only successful in the second. In a badminton match, you must make prior judgment because it is a fast game. You cannot afford losing focus or you will be losing very quickly.
“This is a problem which we have to address seriously, both the two players and their coaches.”
In the opening game, Tang and Tse had three game points when they were leading 20-17, but then the Malaysian won five points in a row to draw first blood with a victory after deuce.