KUALA LUMPUR: High-flying Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are the new national No. 1 mixed doubles pair, just nine months after they were teamed up.
In the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings on Tuesday, Tang Jie-Ee Wei climbed six places to a career-best No. 11 following their impressive quarter-final finish on their World Championships debut last week.
They overtook Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, who fell out of the top 10 for the first time since March to No. 12.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei have been a revelation since national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky took a gamble by pairing them during the major reshuffle in December last year.
The decision proved fruitful, as Tang Jie-Ee Wei secured two World Tour titles at the Orleans Masters and Taiwan Masters.
Additionally, they made a significant impression in higher-tier tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Open and the semi-finals of the Singapore Open.
Ee Wei was pleased with their progress but vowed to remain grounded.
"We never thought we would climb so quickly towards the world top 10," said Ee Wei.
"It has only been nine months. We really couldn't have asked for a better start. It was an uphill battle in the beginning, as we had to start from scratch and play catch up.
"I'm so happy that Tang Jie and I withstood all the pressure to reach where we are now.
"However, this is merely a promising beginning. The journey ahead is long, and it is crucial to remain grounded and continue moving in the right direction.
"A special shout out to coaches Rexy and Nova (Widianto). We wouldn't have achieved it without their guidance and faith in us."
Meanwhile, the situation went from bad to worse for senior pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing, as they dropped two more spots to No. 23 — their lowest position since April 2018.
Kian Meng-Pei Jing's woes this season continued when they crashed out in the second round in Copenhagen last week.
With no signs of improvement over the past three months, their tenure in the Road to Gold programme might be in jeopardy.
In the men's doubles, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik could not prevent themselves from sliding down from No. 4 to No. 6 despite a creditable semi-final run in Copenhagen after they failed to defend their points from last year's World Championships victory.
The pair lost their place to newly crowned world champions Kang Min Hyuk-Seo Seung Jae of South Korea.
Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi remained in No. 8, while Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun improved their position by two spots to No. 23.
Last week's quarter-finalists Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah kept their No. 11 place in the women's doubles.