Thom Gicquel offered himself this Thursday a nice gift for his 24e birthday. Competing for the Malaysia Open, Super 1000 of the World Tour in Kuala Lumpur, the Mulhousien and his partner Delphine Delrue, world n°5 in mixed, qualified for the quarter-finals by defeating the Malaysians Hoo Pang Ron and Teoh Mei Xing, 150es.
A success in three sets (21-18, 13-21, 21-12) which will allow them to face for the fifth time this Friday around 10 a.m. (French time) the ogres of the discipline, the Chinese world n ° 1 Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong, triple world champions 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Between June and December last, the vice-champions of Europe 2022 challenged them four times for as many defeats, the last at the opening of the group stage of the World Tour finals on December 7 in Bangkok where they did not have existed (8-21, 9-21).
They only really worried them in this same ”Malaysia Open”, vintage 2022, already in the quarters, on 1is July (23-25, 20-22). That day, they had offered six flying first set, without managing to conclude, and had still led 19-18 in the second.
Will their fifth attempt be the right one against a Chinese pair who remain on three successes in Denmark (Super 750), the French Open (Super 750) and the World Tour finals? The Red Star player wants to believe it. “I am happy to have celebrated my 24th birthday with a victory against the Malaysians Hoo and Teoh. And now I’m looking forward to Friday for a big fight against Zheng and Huang. »
