Malaysian badminton fans were left stunned as the nation’s top men’s doubles pair, world No. 6 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, succumbed to pressure and bowed out of the PETRONAS Malaysia Open 2025.
They were defeated by world No. 27 Lee Fang Chih and Lee Fang Jen in a disappointing second-round match at the Axiata Arena.
Despite being tagged as favourites, the Malaysian pair failed to find their form, falling short of matching their quarterfinal result from last year’s tournament.
The match lasted just 47 minutes, with Aaron-Wooi Yik losing in straight sets, 21-14, 21-18, to the twin pair from Chinese Taipei.
Aaron-Wooi Yik appeared out of sorts, committing numerous errors that ultimately cost them the match, much to the frustration of the home crowd rallying behind them. The pair has yet to secure a title on home soil.
“We committed too many errors, and were far from our best and lacked consistency, while our opponents were ahead of us,” said a visibly dejected Aaron.
In a brighter turn of events, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun brought cheers to the home fans with an impressive performance, storming into their first-ever quarterfinals. The world No. 14 defeated Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe Huei/Yang Po Hsuan in straight sets of 21-15, 21-13, in just 31 minutes.
“It helped that we had more time to prepare for this year’s Open. We’ve learned from last year’s mistakes and are taking it step by step, giving our best,” said Man after the victory. The pair will next face the Frenchmen Christo Popov-Tomo Popov in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.
Malaysia’s mixed doubles stars, world No. 5 Chen Tang Jie-Teo Ee Wei, continued their strong form, defeating Taiwanese pair Lu Ming Che and Hung En-Tzu in just 31 minutes. The Malaysians dominated the match, winning comfortably 21-8, 21-14, to secure their quarterfinal berth.
Their next challenge will be a rematch against Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito, the pair who knocked them out in last year’s quarterfinals.
“We’re happy to advance past the second round. Now it’s time to rest and prepare both mentally and physically for tomorrow,” said Tang Jie.
Independent men’s doubles duo Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi kept the home fans on the edge of their seats, battling past South Korea’s Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk in a hard-fought 69-minute match.
The Malaysians won 23-21, 16-21, 21-18 to secure their fourth consecutive quarter final appearance at the Malaysia Open.
Their next opponents are India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, who eased past Malaysian duo Mohd Azryn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong 21-15, 21-15 in 60 minutes.
Goh Soon Huat/Shevon Lai added to the day’s success for Malaysia, defeating India’s Satish Kumar Karunakaran/Aadya Variyath 21-10, 21-17. This victory marks their first Malaysia Open quarterfinal since their debut in 2018.
They will face China’s world No. 11 pair, Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi, in the next round.
Elsewhere, top-seed Shi Yu Qi stayed on track for the men’s singles title, defeating compatriot Lu Guang Zu 21-18, 21-16. Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, seeking back-to-back Malaysia Open titles, survived a grueling three-set battle to overcome Japan’s Koki Watanabe 21-23, 21-18, 21-14.
He faces Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who cruised past Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-7, 21-10.
In the women’s singles, defending champion An Se Young advanced to the quarterfinals, where she will face American Zhang Beiwen. China’s second seed Wang Zhi Yi also secured her place in the last eight.
China demonstrated its strength in the women’s doubles, with three pairs advancing to the quarterfinals. Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning lead the charge for a likely final clash against Korea’s top seed Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee.
In mixed doubles, China’s pair Feng Yan Zhe–Huang Dong Ping advanced smoothly into the quarterfinals, aiming to prolong China’s domination and fill the void left by the legendary Zhang Si Wei/Huang Yaqiong.
