KUALA LUMPUR – Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik’s campaign at the Kumamoto Masters Japan ended in the second round after the country’s top men’s doubles pair were defeated by Japan’s Akira Koga and Taichi Saito at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium today.
Despite a fiercely contested match lasting 44 minutes, the Malaysians, who are ranked second in the world, succumbed to their opponents’ prowess, with the 18-21, 16-21 result marking their fourth defeat to the Japanese pair in seven meetings.
Koga and Saito will next play China’s world number eights, Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi, for a spot in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi became the sole representatives for Malaysia in the men’s doubles as they qualified for tomorrow’s quarter-finals in style by defeating Thailand’s Pharanyu Kaosamaang and Worrapol Thongsanga.
The world number 48 Thai pair upset the world number 12 Malaysians in the opening set of the match.
However, the tables were quickly turned in the second and third sets as Yew Sin and Ee Yi bounced back to win the match 14-21, 21-15, 21-15 in 52 minutes.
Yew Sin and Ee Yi are expected to take on the winners of an all-Chinese Taipei clash between Lu Ching-yao-Yang Po-han and Lee Fang-chih-Lee Fang-jen in tomorrow’s quarter-finals. – November 16, 2023