KUALA LUMPUR — It was noise, chaos and bedlam inside the Shenzhen Arena in Guangdong — but Malaysia’s mixed doubles aces Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei kept their cool and pulled off a tactical heist at the China Masters 2025 yesterday.

While the home crowd roared, the world No. 3 pair quietly fired off sharp instructions in Bahasa Melayu — “depan!” (front) and “tukar!” (switch) — a secret language their Chinese rivals simply couldn’t crack.

World No. 1s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping were left scratching their heads as the Malaysians plotted in plain sight, their game plan wrapped in a code no outsider could break.

After a nail-biting 22-24 loss in the first game, Chen and Toh turned the screws. They fought back to snatch the next two 21-19, 21-17 in an 80-minute epic that had the crowd on edge and their opponents chasing shadows.

The victory keeps their unbeaten streak alive since storming to the world title in Paris last month and cements their status as one of the most feared mixed doubles duos on the planet.

Social media lit up in admiration. “Salute, speaking Bahasa Melayu right in front of the Chinese players… truly our secret weapon,” wrote one fan. Another teased: “So cute watching them chat in Bahasa Melayu — the opponents must have been totally lost.”

Next stop: today’s final against Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran, with another trophy firmly in their sights.