NEW DELHI – Malaysia’s men’s doubles pair of Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik bowed out of the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament after losing in the semi-finals in New Delhi, last night.
The world number four and former world champions went down against the host country’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in straight sets 18-21, 14-21.
The Indian pair will play in today’s final against last year’s men’s doubles world champions Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae of South Korea, who earlier defeated Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan 21-19, 21-14.
Aaron-Wooi Yik had made it to the finals of the same tournament last year.
In the men’s singles semi-finals, world number 18, Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong, stunned 2023 World Championships silver medallist, Kodai Naraoka of Japan 21-13, 15-21, 21-19. He will take on world number two Shi Yu Qi of China, who trounced India’s H.S. Prannoy 21-15, 21-5, in the final.
Meanwhile, women’s singles shuttler Tai Tzu Ying advanced to her second consecutive final in the World Tour by defeating Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min 21-13, 21-18.
The Taiwanese, who lost in the final of last weekend’s Malaysia Open to An Se-young of South Korea, will now face Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Chen Yu Fei from China, who defeated compatriot Wang Zhi Yi 21-13, 21-18 in the other semi-final.
The women’s doubles finals will see Japan’s Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara, who stunned South Korea’s world number two Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee 21-13, 21-16 in the last four, taking on China’s Zhang Shu Xian-Zheng Yu, who won their semi-final 19-21, 21-17, 21-18 against compatriots Li Wen Mei-Liu Xuan Xuan.
In the mixed doubles, world number five Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin of China overcame Kim Won-ho-Jeong Na-eun of South Korea 21-19, 21-18.
They will play in the final against Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand, who defeated Ye Hong Wei-Lee Chia Hsin of Taiwan 18-21, 21-15, 21-19 in the other semi-final tie. – January 21, 2024