KUALA LUMPUR: Two national men’s doubles pairs - Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani - stormed into the last eight of the 2024 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, China, today.
In the second round action, fourth-seeded Aaron-Wooi Yik had to slog for 61 minutes before prevailing 21-18, 14-21, 21-14 over unseeded Japanese Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.
This is Aaron-Wooi Yik’s second straight win over Mitsuhashi-Okamura, having defeated the Japanese pair 21-10, 21-14 in the second round of the 2024 India Open.
In the quarter-finals, Aaron-Wooi Yik will face China’s seventh-seeded Liu Yu Chen-Ou Xuan Yi, who disposed of South Koreans Kim Young Hyuk-Wang Chan 21-16, 22-20 in the second round.
Meanwhile, world number 19 Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin cruised into the last eight when their second-round opponents, China’s He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu retired after losing the first game 11-21.
According to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) post in their X account, their opponents were forced to retire due to injury.
Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin, the German Open 2022 champions, will take on reigning Olympic Games gold medallists Lee Yang-Wang Chi-Lin in the last eight after the Taiwanese pair disposed of Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh-Kittinupong Kedren 21-11, 21-14 in round two.
However, it was the end of the road for another national men’s doubles pair, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun after they lost 18-21, 17-21 to Lee Jhe-Huei-Yang Po-Hsuan of Taiwan.
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Professional men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia had earlier made the last eight with a 21-15, 21-17 win over Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen.
Zii Jia will take on Jonatan Christie next after the third seed from Indonesia overcame Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-14, 21-16.