Fifth seeds Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik breezed into the second round of the Petronas Malaysia Open 2025, though they were stretched to three games before triumphing over American rivals Chen Zhi Yi/Presley Smith in the first round encounter at the Axiata Arena today.
After clinching the first game, the Malaysian duo faced stiff resistance as the American pair fought back to claim the second game, keeping alive their hopes of an upset.
However, Aaron-Wooi Yik regained their composure and dominance in the decider, securing a 21-15, 16-21, 21-10 victory in 58 minutes.
“My condition wasn’t at its peak during the second game, which allowed them to gain momentum,” Aaron admitted. “However, we’ve learned from this experience and will be better prepared for the next match.”
Wooi Yik echoed his partner’s thoughts, saying: “The second game was tough due to the drift…it took us some time to adjust. But today’s match has helped us identify our mistakes moving forward.”
Malaysia will have three men’s doubles pairs in the round of 16, including independent duo Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi.
Aaron-Soh will now face Chinese Taipei’s Lee Fang Chih-Lee Fang Jen in the second round. Joining them are Malaysia’s second pair, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who will meet eighth seeds, Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan of Chinese Taipei in tomorrow’s round of 16.
Ong-Teo delivered a stellar performance, defeating Indonesia’s world no. 4 pair, Fajar Alfian and Rian Ardianto, for the third consecutive time. The Malaysians prevailed 15-21, 21-17, 21-13 and will face Korea’s Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk in the next round.
In contrast, Malaysia’s young pair Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King faltered in their opening match, losing 17-21, 11-21 to the seasoned Korean duo Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae.
In their debut Petronas Malaysia Open appearance, women’s pair Carmen Ting and Ong Xin Yee also suffered early exit, bowing out 15-21, 15-21 to Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun/Yu Chien Hui.
Malaysian independent mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai impressed with a solid 21-15, 21-19 victory over American duo Presley Smith and Jenny Gai. The husband-and-wife pair will face India’s Satish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath in the second round.
In women’s doubles, Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien are Malaysia’s sole representatives in the second round. They face a daunting challenge against top seeds Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning of China.
Meanwhile, expectations are high for mixed doubles third seeds Chen Tang Jie/Teo Ee Wei as they aim to secure a place in the third round. They will take on Chinese Taipei’s Lu Ming Che/Hung En-Tzu in tomorrow’s match.
