All-Malaysian Final Secured in Men’s Doubles at Macau Open as National Shuttlers Shine Across Events
Petaling Jaya, The Gulf Observer: Malaysia’s men’s doubles squad have guaranteed themselves a spot in the Macau Open final, even as the tournament is only at the quarter-final stage, following a dominant performance at the Macau East Asian Games Dome on Friday.
Mohd Haikal Nazri and Choong Hon Jian continued their sensational form by upsetting second seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India in a dramatic three-game thriller, prevailing 21-14, 13-21, 22-20 in a gripping 60-minute showdown.
Their next opponents will be fellow Malaysians Wan Arif Junaidi and Yap Roy King, who marched past experienced duo Nur Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong in straight sets, 21-12, 21-16, to book a semi-final clash that now confirms an all-Malaysian men’s doubles final.
The semi-final promises added intrigue as Haikal and Arif were once long-term partners, having climbed to the top of the world junior rankings together before parting ways in 2023.
Meanwhile, it was disappointment for Choi Sol-gyu and Goh V Shem, who bowed out after a 18-21, 13-21 loss to Indonesia’s Sabar Gutama and Moh Reza Isfahani.
In the men’s singles, Malaysia’s Justin Hoh delivered a stunning performance by defeating Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen, the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist, 21-9, 21-18 in just 37 minutes. Justin is now set to face India’s Tharun Mannepalli in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Malaysia also enjoyed a strong day in the mixed doubles. Top seeds Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei advanced confidently to the last four after a hard-fought 21-17, 22-20 victory over Indonesia’s Adnan Maulana and Indah Cahya Sari Jamil.
They were joined by teammates Jimmy Wong and Lai Pei Jing, who pulled off a major upset by toppling second seeds Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi of China, winning 21-12, 17-21, 21-18.
In the semi-finals, Tang Jie and Ee Wei will face Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje, while Jimmy and Pei Jing will go up against Indonesia’s Amri Syahnawi and Nita Marwah.
With multiple Malaysian pairs and players now in medal contention, the Macau Open is shaping up to be a tournament of triumphs for the national squad.
