Malaysian badminton player Toh Ee Wei, who recently competed in the semi-finals of the China Badminton Masters in Shenzhen, China, chuckled during the match when Chinese supporters voiced their encouragement for the home team.
One of the Chinese supporters shouted to Ee Wei’s opponents, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, to “steal her back court” in Mandarin, prompting Ee Wei to laugh, as seen in a viral video.
In badminton, “stealing the back court” is a strategic tactic where one player, typically the front-court player, intercepts the shuttlecock to prevent the opponent from executing a powerful shot to the back of the court. The Chinese fan may have forgotten that Ee Wei, despite being Malaysian, also understands Mandarin, just like many Malaysians.
Successfully turned the match around
With her mixed doubles partner, Chen Tang Jie, the duo successfully turned the match around to win 2-1 (22-24, 21-19, 21-17), defeating the Chinese pair, Yanzhe and Dongping.
This achievement sent Tang Jie and Ee Wei to the finals, where they faced Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand, according to China Press.
The Malaysian team, however, missed out on the China Masters title after losing to their opponents, marking the Thai pair’s fourth win in five encounters with the Malaysians. With this victory, Dechapol and Supissara became the first non-Chinese pair to win the mixed doubles title at the China Masters in its 20-year history.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei made history on 31 August by becoming the first Malaysian mixed doubles pair to win a title at the World Championships.
As runners-up, Tang Jie and Ee Wei took home a cash prize of US$43,750 (~RM184,056) along with silver medals, reported Utusan.
