Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing Set Up Korea Open Quarter-Final Against Top Seeds
Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing have reached the mixed doubles quarter-finals at the 2026 Korea Open after beating South Korea’s Jin Sung-ik and Lee Seung-hee 21–8, 21–15 on 5 November.
The Star reported that the world No. 15 partnership completed the second-round match in 32 minutes at Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu. Their reward is a last-eight meeting with China’s top seeds Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin.
Straight-games win keeps campaign moving
The Malaysians took the first game by a 13-point margin and finished the second with a six-point advantage. Those scores underline the difference in the two games without requiring a deciding third.
Completing the match in two games sends Hoo and Lai into the quarter-finals with another result to build on. The next round, however, presents a different level of opposition from the home pair they have just eliminated.
Recent consistency adds significance
RTM’s report placed the result in the context of a productive sequence of tournaments. Hoo and Lai had reached the semi-finals in Denmark and at the Hylo Open, and finished runners-up at the French Open.
A quarter-final victory in Yeosu would therefore bring a fourth successive semi-final appearance across that run. It would also extend a period in which the partnership has repeatedly reached the latter stages of international competition.
Malaysia’s other second-round result
The Star also reported the elimination of Chen Tang Jie and Chan Wen Tse, who lost 7–21, 13–21 to China’s third seeds Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi. The contrasting results left Hoo and Lai advancing while their compatriots’ mixed doubles campaign ended in the second round.
RTM lists Jiang and Wei as the world No. 2 pair as well as the tournament’s top seeds. The quarter-final therefore brings a marked change in the rankings of Hoo and Lai’s opposition after their win over the South Korean partnership.
Top-seeded Chinese pair next
Jiang and Wei stand between the Malaysians and another semi-final. Their top seeding makes the fixture a substantial test, and Hoo and Lai will need to reproduce their recent consistency against opponents with strong tournament expectations of their own.
The second-round win secures progress, but the next match will determine whether that progress becomes another deep run. Malaysia’s mixed doubles hopes now turn to a quarter-final with a clear place in the last four at stake.
Featured image: illustrative HPW NEWS archive image; it does not depict this specific event.