PETALING JAYA: 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 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 last 16 were reigning world mixed doubles champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
