Ling Ching saves 3 match points to enter last-16 in Australian Open

 The world No 34 Malaysian had to bring out her best before subduing her 69th-ranked Indian rival in three close games.

Wong Ling Ching overcame India’s Aakarshi Kashyap 21-19, 19-21, 22-20 in a 76-minute match that saw both players fighting point for point. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

National singles shuttler Wong Ling Ching saved three match points when she opened her Australian Open campaign today, before defeating India’s Aakarshi Kashyap in three games to advance to the second round of the World Tour Super 500 tournament.

Ling Ching, ranked world No 34, had to dig deep into her reserves before overcoming Aakarshi, who is ranked world No 69, by a score of 21-19, 19-21, 22-20 in 76 minutes at the Quaycentre Arena in Sydney.

The decider saw both players fighting point for point before the Malaysian sealed her victory.

She will face Taiwan’s world No 31 Huang Yu-Hsun in the last 16 tomorrow.

Also through to the second round are two new Malaysian mixed doubles pairs – Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing and Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin – who both had fairly easy opponents in their opening ties.

Pang Ron-Pei Jing beat home pair Michael Owen-Gronya Somerville 21-17, 21-14 in 30 minutes, while Jimmy-Su Yin defeated another Australian pair, Andika Ramadiansyah-Nozomi Shimizu, 21-15, 21-16 in 37 minutes.

However, national singles shuttler Eogene Ewe was bundled out in the first round by Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu 18-21, 21-10, 21-15 in 52 minutes. - FMT