Taiwan Pair Maintain World Champion Upset Momentum to Reach China Masters Quarterfinals

Taiwan’s Liu Kuang-heng and Hsu Yin-hui continued their strong run at the China Masters, defeating India’s Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto 21-18, 21-18 to reach the mixed doubles quarterfinals.

The pair kept control after a tight opening game. With the score tied at 12-12, they won four straight points. India later leveled at 18-18, but Liu and Hsu held firm and closed out the game with three consecutive points.

They trailed 6-9 early in the second game before responding with a seven-point run. The Taiwanese pair maintained its lead from there to complete the straight-games victory.

Ranked 48th in the world, Liu and Hsu will meet Malaysia’s Lai Pei-jing and Hsu Pang-jung in the quarterfinals. The Malaysian pair reached the last eight by defeating China’s sixth-seeded Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi 24-22, 21-19.

Liu and Hsu formed their partnership only in May, but won their first title at the Super 300 U.S. Open in June and then finished runners-up at the Canadian Open. They also defeated newly crowned world champions yesterday at the China Masters.