Azriyn-Wee Kiong stun world No. 7 to reach China Masters semi-finals
KUALA LUMPUR: Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong pulled off a sensational upset as two of Malaysia’s three men’s doubles pairs advanced to the China Masters semi-finals in Shenzhen today.
Malaysia's doubles pair, Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong, stunned the world's top 10 by defeating Indonesia's Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 21-17, 16-21, 21-19 in just 57 minutes. This victory secured them a spot in the China Masters semi-finals, marking their first appearance in this level for the Super 750 tournament. Their previous best was a quarter-final at Japan and Denmark Opens last year.
The duo will now challenge India's world No. 5 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty for the final. Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King, the other Malaysian pair in the semi-finals, rebounded from losing the second game to beat Japan's Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami 21-13, 19-21, 21-12. Roy King credited their ability to regain focus in the decider as the most satisfying part of their win.
Kai Wun-Roy King, who will part ways with Roy King and team up with Aaron Chia at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games later this month, praised the experience of switching partners. He noted that it helped him adapt to different situations and find ways to support his teammates.
Meanwhile, Soh Wooi Yik-Aaron Tai failed to secure another clean sweep of semi-final spots for Malaysia, losing to China's He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu 21-16, 17-21, 21-16. Wooi Yik acknowledged their errors but praised the fighting spirit of their partner Aaron. Wooi Yik will face Kai Wun-Roy King in the quarter-finals.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
