Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and professional Liew Daren in the men’s singles came unstuck against their Denmark opponents in the semi-finals in the USD170,000 Barcelona Spain Masters on Saturday.
Daren, 32, went out to defending champion and top seed Viktor Axelsen 21-10, 21-19 on court one Vall d’Hebron Olympic Sports Centre which saw both players escape serious injury after losing their footing. Axelsen went flat in the first game while Daren injured his left wrist late in the second game.
Axelsen, the 2017 world champion and Rio Olympics bronze medallist, will face Thailand’s 18-year-old Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Kunlavut, the three-time world junior champion reached his first world tour final when he ousted India’s Ajay Jayaram 22-20, 21-12.
In the men’s doubles, No 2 seeds Aaron-Wooi Yik were upset 16-21, 22-24 by Denmark’s veterans and No 4 seeds Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in 41 minutes.
