Scratch pair Aaron Tai-Roy King crowned Arctic Open champs in 1st outing

Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King claimed the men's doubles title at the Arctic Open, securing their first win at the World Tour Super 500 championships in Finland. The scratch pair emerged victorious after defeating the 60th-ranked Taiwanese duo, Lai Po Yu-Tsai Fu Cheng and Tsai Fu Cheng, in a grueling 41-minute match. The duo's impressive run in the tournament included sweeping all five higher-ranked pairs, earning them a share of US$39,500 (RM160,654) as champions, while the runners-up took home US$19,000 (RM77,277).

Aaron Tai, who will turn 20 later this month, and 25-year-old Roy King are only the third Malaysian pair to win the men's doubles title since the tournament's inception in 1990, following Nelson Heg Wei Keat-Teo Ee Yi in 2013 and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani in 2015. The scratch pairing is part of the Badminton Association of Malaysia's efforts to identify a top-performing combination to prepare for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The pair's next competition is the Denmark Open, a Super 750 championship, where Aaron Tai previously partnered with senior Aaron Chia, and Roy King teamed up with Tee Kai Wun to reach the last-four at the China Masters.