Tan & Lai Script Turnaround – Indonesia Open: Day 4
Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing made their first World Tour Super 1000 semifinal with a dogged fightback at the BLIBLI Indonesia Open 2019 today.
· DEV SUKUMAR
It all seemed to be going awry for the Malaysians in the third game against the Adcock couple, Chris and Gabrielle. The Adcocks had caught the Malaysians a few times with the flick serve; with two consecutive flick serves, Chris Adcock caught them napping to go 14-11 up.
But the England duo overplayed their hand; Chris tried a third consecutive flick, and this time Tan smashed right past him. The Malaysians stepped up a level, with Lai outstanding in defence as she expertly crafted the openings for Tan.
“It’s a big achievement for us as it’s our first Super 1000 semifinal,” said Lai, who was running a fever. “We feel great. Last year we didn’t perform for a long time, but we’re getting better now and we’re quite happy.”