5 Malaysians with different missions at upcoming Japan Open

The Japan Open which begins next week (July 14-19) will kickstart the resumption of top-tier World Tour events.

Stadium Astro highlights three things to look out at this Super 750 event involving Malaysian shuttlers.

All eyes on  Soh Wooi Yik- Man Wei Chong

Fans will be eager to see how this scratch pairing will fare in their debut tournament.

One concerning factor is the fitness of Man, who is understood to be only 75% ready after a right knee injury suffered at the Thomas Cup in May.

The Malaysians will face a tough ordeal in their debut partnership too, as they are up against Chinese Taipei twins Fang Jen-lee-Fang Chih-lee.

Chen Tang Jie starts new partnership with Clarissa

With his fixed partner Toh Ee Wei currently recovering from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament surgery, Chen will continue his journey with his new partner Clarissa San.

Chen’s new partner is only 19 and is ranked 128 in the mixed doubles, but is able to compete in this Super 750 event using’s Chen’s lofty ranking of five.

The scratch pair will take on Chinese Taipei’s Yang Po-hsuan-Hu Ling-fan, and a victory would certainly make headlines.

Letshaana aims for a prolonged run

While she has crashed out early in her last two events, Letshaana’s improvement must not go unnoticed.

She has given some of the world top shuttlers such as Chen Yu Fei and Akane Yamaguchi a run for their money, and will look to embark on a meaningful run in Tokyo.

After breaking into the world top 30, the 23-year-old can now aim to breach the top 20. In this event, she takes on South Korean Kim Gae-un in the opening round.