The nation’s top two men’s doubles pairs brought much-needed cheer to the national camp by storming into the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Open badminton tournament after a string of major losses earlier today.
World No 2 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik were made to work hard before they defeated the unheralded Chinese pair Chen Xu Jun-Liu Yang 21-14, 14-21, 21-14 in 61 minutes at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
The second seeds will take on South Korea‘s Kang Min Hyuk-Ki Dong Ju or Indonesian pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Reza Pahlevi Isfahani in the quarter-finals tomorrow.
Malaysia’s world No 5 pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun then romped to victory as they defeated the 26th ranked Japanese pair Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita 21-9, 21-15 in just 29 minutes.
The duo will meet either compatriots Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong or world No 1 pair Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae, who are playing later today.
Earlier, women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah, men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and mixed doubles shuttlers Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Jemie Lai lost in their last 16 ties.
National men’s singles player Leong Jun Hao was another second-round casualty, falling to top Indonesian singles shuttler Jonatan Christie.
The only other Malaysian pair to make it to the quarter-finals is reigning world mixed doubles champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
