Tang-Tse pair snatches medal in third consecutive tournament after reunion

Hong Kong shuttlers Jordan Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet snatched silver in the Singapore Open on Sunday after losing an intense match against Thai pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.

The silver medals they bagged will be their third consecutive podium finish since they reunited two months ago.

Ranked third in the world, the Hong Kong duo have been in top form and have already clinched the title in the Asian Championships in April, reached the semifinals at the Thailand Open, before advancing all the way to the finals in the Singapore Open.

Facing world No. 8 Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran from Thailand, the Hong Kong pair took an early lead, but several errors allowed their opponents to regain the advantage and a chance to pull ahead.

The Hong Kong duo steadied themselves and gradually fought back, with Tang making an ingenious deceptive drop shot at 4-7 which drew cheers from the crowd.

But the Tang-Tse pair still struggled to close the gap, and despite narrowing it down to a one-point game at 13-14, the Thai pair’s aggressive net play proved sufficient to fend off the Hong Kong duo in the first set.

Tang and Tse then attempted an aggressive start in the second set, but the attempt was futile as the Thai pair was unfazed and started to dominate the game.

After several unforced errors, which allowed the Thai pair to widen the gap, the Hong Kong duo dropped the second set 9-21 and settled for silver.

Although Tang and Tse narrowly missed the top of the podium, they have now secured a medal in three consecutive tournaments – the Asian Championships, Thailand Open and Singapore Open – marking one of their best runs in recent years.

(Michael Shum)