RIO DE JANEIRO: Malaysia’s Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong played one of their best matches ever as they toppled World No 1 Lee Yong Dae-Yoo Yeon Seong to make the Rio Olympics men’s doubles semi-finals on Monday.
The Malaysians, who had only beaten the Koreans once in six previous meetings, went one better by winning 17-21, 21-18, 21-19 in 86 minutes.
It was a wonderful victory, especially as the Koreans had narrowed the gap to 19-20 after trailing 13-18 in the decider.
It was a close affair from the start as both pairs gave it their best.
Yong Dae-Yeon Seong, however, were coming off better in the exchanges and took the first game 21-17.
The second game was another cagey affair until V Shem-Wee Kiong took a 19-15 lead.
The Koreans, however, took three points in a row to cause some nervousness in the Malaysian camp but V Shem-Wee Kiong steadied themselves to force the decider.
Buoyed by their performance in the second game, the Malaysians adopted a more aggressive approach in the decider and were rewarded as the Koreans began to make mistakes.
The Malaysian fans began to dream of the semi-finals when V-Shem-Wee Kiong led 18-13 only for the Koreans to claw back to 19-20.
The Malaysians, however, were not to be denied as they sealed their semi-final berth.