S'pore mixed doubles pair through to quarter-finals

SINGAPORE – National shuttlers Vanessa Neo and Danny Bawa Chrisnanta have reached the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles competition at this year’s OUE Singapore Open, after a hard-fought 2-0 win over South Korea’s Choi Sol Kyu and Chae Yoo Jung.

Ranked 16th in the world, the Singaporean duo took 36 minutes to overcome their world No 47 ranked opponents 24-22, 21-14 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium today (April 9).

Said Chrisnanta after the match: “We are very happy because we lost to them last year… It is about mental strength and experience, who is more daring, and who takes the game.”

In the OUE Singapore Open last year, Neo and Chrisnanta were the only Singapore national shuttlers to feature in the quarter-finals, in the process upsetting fifth-seeded and world no. 7 Thai pair of Saraleee Thoungthongkam and Sudket Prapakamol.

Together with Chen Jiayuan – who is scheduled to face Taiwan’s Tai Tzu Ying in the last 16 of the women’s singles later today – Neo and Chrisnanta are the only Singaporeans left in the tournament.