KUALA LUMPUR: Mixed pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing, seeking to continue their revival, got off to an encouraging start at the Arctic Open in Finland with a first round win over England's Gregory Mairs-Jenny Mairs yesterday.
The world No. 21 Malaysians clinched a 21-9, 21-17 win in just 38 minutes in Vaanta.
They will next face Hong Kong's Reginald Lee-Ng Tsz Yau for a place in the quarter-finals.
Reginald-Tsz Yau prevented an all-Malaysian affair in the last 16, defeating Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie 21-8, 21-19.
Independents Kian Meng-Pei Jing managed to shrug off the early round losers tag by finishing as semi-finalists of the China Open, a Super 1000 World Tour event, last month.
They will be looking to do the same in Vaanta this week, where the tournament formerly known as Finnish International is now a Super 500-rated meet.
Another good outing may just do Kian Meng-Pei Jing a favour in their last-ditch bid to convince the Road to Gold (RTG) committee to retain them in the Paris Olympics elite programme.
World No. 9 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, quarter-finalists at the Hangzhou Asian Games, kicked off their campaign by triumphing 21-14, 21-17 over former European Games champions Marcus Ellis-Lauren Smith of England.
They will take on two-time World Championships bronze medallists Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet next.
In the women's singles, K. Letshanaa failed to make the tournament proper from the two-round qualifiers. She managed to clear the first hurdle with a 21-13, 21-11 win against Switzerland's Jenjira Stadelmann but went down fighting 21-18, 19-21, 21-17 later to Thailand's Lalinrat Chaiwan.