KUALA LUMPUR: Mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei proved today that they are capable of overcoming their inner demons.
The Malaysian world No. 3 did that by showing great mental strength to defeat Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran in the India Open second round.
Dechapol-Supissara had entered the court in New Delhi with a big reputation, having just beaten China's world No.1 Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping to win the Malaysia Open crown last week.
And the Thai pair also had the better of Tang Jie-Ee Wei in the Japan Master first round last November.
It was thought that Tang Jie-Ee Wei were headed for another setback when they lost 19-21 in the first game to the Thais.
But the Malaysian duo kept their emotions in check to win the next two games, 21-12, 22-20 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.
National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto had said that Tang Jie-Ee Wei need to manage their emotions better after they lost in the Malaysia Open semi-finals last week.
Ee Wei said that they managed to remain composed despite facing a strong fightback from their opponents.
"We kept communicating with each other on court, we trusted each other and got the win at the end," Ee Wei told Badminton World Federation in a post-match interview.
"We just didn't think about how to get points easily and keep our strokes consistent and keep it (shuttle) in the court. So finally, we did it.
"Although the opponents were leading, we had to stay stable, our emotions... and keep fighting for every point and never give up."
Tang Jie said that they didn't waver from their strategy despite being put under pressure by the opponents.
"We stuck to our strategy although we made mistakes at 20-17, I kept discussing with the coach and my partner (during the match). The most important thing is that we believed in each other," he said.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei, who are the top seeds, will next meet either Thailand's r Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat or China's Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi of China in the quarter-finals.