Japan Open: New Pairs Going Strong
“I text her everyday,” laughed Jia Yi Fan when asked if she missed Chen Qing Chen, her women’s doubles ally of 10 years with whom she won the Olympic gold just a fortnight ago.
· PREM KUMAR
Jia is a group of established doubles stars appearing with new partners at the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2024, the first HSBC BWF World Tour tournament post-Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Playing alongside Li Wen Mei in Yokohama, Jia has advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over Chinese Taipei combos.
“We are starting from zero,” said the 27-year-old after defeating Teng Chun Hsun/Yang Chu Yun 21-18 14-21 21-16 on Thursday. “After the Olympics, Li and I didn’t have much time (to practice) so we didn’t try anything new. We just want to see how we can work well together. For now, we aim to give our best and enjoy each match.”
Of the new pairs that started in Japan, three are in the last eight stage. That includes Indonesian tandems Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Daniel Marthin, who’ve swapped partners for the next chapter of their young careers following an unsuccessful attempt at making Paris 2024.