Wei Jie-Ee Yi make their biggest statement yet

KUALA LUMPUR: Chia Wei Jie-Teo Ee Yi may still be finding their feet as a partnership, but their stunning victory at the Korea Open on Tuesday could be their biggest statement yet.

The independent men's doubles pair stunned China's world No. 11 and fourth seeds Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi 21-14, 21-19 in 34 minutes in Yeosu, claiming arguably their biggest scalp since joining forces in April.

The victory was a welcome boost for the Malaysians, who have shown flashes of promise but struggled for consistency on the World Tour.

Their best achievement so far was reaching the semi-finals of the Macau Open Super 300 in June.

Since then, they have found progress difficult at higher-level tournaments, with second-round appearances at the China Masters, Arctic Open and Denmark Open followed by opening-round exits at the French Open and Hylo Open.

Nevertheless, their steady rise in the world rankings offers encouragement.

Wei Jie-Ee Yi climbed four places to world No. 39 in Tuesday's rankings update, moving within striking distance of the top 32.

Breaking into that bracket would significantly improve their prospects of gaining entry to the more prestigious Super 750 and Super 1000 tournaments.

Ee Yi, 33, is the more experienced of the two, having previously enjoyed a decade-long partnership with Ong Yew Sin, highlighted by a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships.

Wei Jie, 26, previously partnered Lwi Sheng Hao before joining forces with Ee Yi.

The Malaysians will now look to build on their breakthrough victory when they face Taiwan's world No. 38 He Jhe Wei-Huang Jui Hsuan in Thursday's second round.

Another victory would send them into their first Super 500 quarter-final together.