KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing's hopes of securing a spot in the season-ending World Tour Finals (WTF) were dashed after their exit from the last 16 of the Denmark Open in Odense today.
The world No. 17 fought valiantly but fell 21-16, 18-21, 21-16 to Paris Olympics silver medallists Kim Won Ho-Jeong Na Eun in a 60-minute mixed doubles battle.
A strong finish in the Denmark Open would have kept Kian Meng-Pei Jing's chances alive of chasing down compatriots Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei for Malaysia's second spot in the WTF on Dec 11-15 in Hangzhou.
Kian Meng-Pei Jing are currently eighth in the World Tour rankings with 63,990 points, trailing behind second-ranked Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai (77,370) and third-ranked Tang Jie-Ee Wei (76,280).
Only two pairs from each country are eligible to qualify for the WTF.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei were forced to withdraw from both the Arctic Open and the Denmark Open due to the latter's right-hand injury, which required 16 stitches.
The duo might also skip the Kumamoto Masters in Japan on Nov 12-17.
This initially provided an opportunity for Kian Meng-Pei Jing to fight for their spot, but the former confirmed their chances have ended following the defeat in Denmark.
"We have to concede our chase for the WTF as we cannot catch up in points with the other two Malaysian pairs," said Kian Meng.
"So, we will not be competing in the Kumamoto Masters as we want to rest and start preparing for the last World Tour event, which is the China Masters (Nov 19-24)."
Soon Huat-Shevon are virtually guaranteed a spot in the WTF with their strong performances this year, while Tang Jie-Ee Wei may need to compete in the China Masters to secure their place in the top eight of the World Tour rankings.