Germany’s Jones Ralfy Jansen and Peter Kaesbauer looked back to their best at the Malaysia Masters men’s doubles qualification today by defeating the strong opponents in Korean pair Kang Min Hyuk and Kim Jae Hwan.
Jansen and Kaesbauer had an up and down end to 2019, as they experienced the brilliant high of winning the Irish Open, but then had an early exit at the Italian International. But it seems the festive break has done them a world of good as they achieved a tremendous straight-game win over Kang and Kim.
Kang Min Hyuk, with partner Kim Won Ho, put on a terrific surprise show in 2019 when reaching the semifinal of the Asia Championships. However, following the Sudirman Cup, Kang returned to partner Kim Jae Hwan, and achieved a final at the Mongolia International Challenge and won the Indonesia International Challenge.
Today, Jansen and Kaesbauer, were too strong, winning 21-16, 21-17. The current number 46 in the world pair will now play the eighth seeds, Han Cheng Kai and Zhou Hao Dong of China in the main draw.
Having seen their fellow countrymen, Mathias Boe and Mads Conrad-Petersen, struggle to get going against the fifth seeds, Alfian and Ardianto, there was a significant opportunity to gain some ground for Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the road to Tokyo. They faced the new-look pairing of former world champion Liu Cheng and Huang Kai Xiang.
The two pairs have played once before, with the Chinese getting the upper hand in a three-game affair. This time it was no different, with Liu and Huang edging the first game. The Danes then surged to a 21-10 win in the second game, and then carried this momentum forward into the second game, getting a 5-1 lead. But the consistency of Liu and Huang shone through, and they sealed the match with a 21-10 final game win. Oddly mirroring their second and third games in their previous match at the Fuzhou China Open.
For the full results and fixtures, click here.