IN only their fourth time together, Taiwan's Chang Kai Chen-Chuang Chia Jung reached their second career doubles final in the BMW Malaysian Open at Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort yesterday.
Kai Chen-Chia Jung defeated Australia's top seeds Casey Dellacqua-Jarmila Gajdosova 6-4, 6-0 in the 56-minute semi-final match. Casey-Jarmila, a scratch pair, are the top seeds based on their individual doubles ranking.
The Taiwanese pair played their first tour competition together at the 2010 Pattaya Open, where they reached the quarter-finals before winning an ITF event in Kaohsiung. In the following year in Birmingham, Kai Chen-Chia Jung reached the quarter-finals.
Chia Jung, the World No 63, is an accomplished doubles player having won 17 WTA tour titles with various partners. And in Grand Slam events, the 27-year-old and former partner Chan Yung Jan were finalists at the 2007 Australian and US Opens.
As for Kai Chen, the 21-year-old has won many ITF level titles but just one tour victory, recorded two years ago in Osaka. The Malaysian Open is her first event of the season in doubles.
"We didn't expect to be in the final as this is only our fourth tournament together," said Kai Chen yesterday.
On their victory over the Australian pair, Kai Chen said: "It is always good to win regardless of who we play but it's always a great feeling to win against the top seeds but we weren't thinking about it before this match.
"We just wanted to play our best tennis and get into the final," she said.
The first set saw both pairs struggling to hold their serve with Kai Chen-Chia Jung breaking four times while Casey-Jarmila recorded three breaks.
Kai Chen-Chia Jung, however, played at a quicker pace in the second set to finish off their opponents with three breaks to earn a spot in the final, where they will be hoping to win the title.
They will face Czech Republic's Pliskova twins, Karolina and Kristyna or the Taiwanese and Japanese combination of Chan Hao Ching and Rika Fujiwara for the title today.
