TAIPEI, Aug 2 — Malaysia’s chase for silverware at the Taiwan Open ended in heartbreak today after men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Aaron Tai were beaten in a tight final in Taipei.
The Malaysian combination, competing together in only their second tournament, went down 23-21, 21-19 to Indonesia’s world No. 78 pair Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in the Super 300 event.
It was a painful end to an unexpected run for the Aarons, who had lit up the tournament with a string of impressive wins before finally being stopped at the last hurdle.
The final was decided by fine margins, with the Malaysians pushing their Indonesian opponents close in both games but unable to find the finishing touch when it mattered most.
Despite the defeat, Chia and Tai can still leave Taipei with plenty of encouragement after rebounding strongly from a first-round exit at last week’s Super 1000 China Open.
For Carnando and Marthin the victory marked their second title of the season following their triumph at the Super 500 Thailand Open in May.
Malaysia had earlier also suffered disappointment in the women’s doubles final, where world No. 5 pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah lost in straight games to Japan’s world No. 71 duo Sumire Nakade and Miyu Takahashi.
