Malaysia’s leading men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, suffered a surprising first-round exit at the Hong Kong Open today. The top seeds were defeated 13-21, 13-21 by England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in just 28 minutes, marking their second consecutive loss to the world No. 15 pair following the Arctic Open 2024. Lane and Vendy are coached by former Malaysian mixed doubles shuttler Tan Kian Meng.
Other Doubles Pairs Also Fall
Another national men’s doubles duo, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, were eliminated after a hard-fought match against Taiwan’s Lee Jhe Huei and Yang Po Hsuan, losing 24-22, 20-22, 17-21.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed doubles pair Loo Bing Kun and Go Pei Kee bowed out in the qualifying round, falling 21-14, 21-16 to Japan’s Olympic medallists Yuta Watanabe and Misaki Matsutomo.
Women’s Singles Exit
In women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei crashed out in the qualifying round, losing 21-17, 14-21, 14-21 to Denmark’s Amalie Schulz.
Bright Spot: Independent Men’s Doubles Advance
The independent Malaysian men’s doubles pair Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong secured a spot in the main draw after defeating Canada’s Jonathan Lai and Nyl Yakura 21-17, 21-17 in 37 minutes. They will face China’s world No. 16 pair Huang Di and Liu Yang in the first round.
