Soh Wooi Yik and Aaron Tai Shine at China Masters; An Se Young Continues Streak

In Shenzhen, Malaysia's men's doubles team of Soh Wooi Yik and Aaron Tai showcased their potential at the 2026 China Masters, progressing to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, women's singles world No. 1 An Se Young maintained her impressive form, extending her winning streak to 30 matches.

The tournament, part of the BWF World Tour Super 750, saw a significant upset as newly crowned men's singles world No. 1 Jonatan Christie was ousted by Hong Kong's Jason Gunawan. Despite this setback, Malaysia's doubles teams performed well, with several pairs including Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King and Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong also moving forward in the competition.

Soh and Tai, competing together for the first time, defeated the Chinese duo of Chen Boyang and Liu Yi in straight games, needing only 40 minutes to secure a 21-13, 21-18 victory. This win followed their earlier comeback against Japan's Hiroki Okamura and Kyohei Yamashita, highlighting their competitive edge against established teams.

The duo's next challenge will be against the Chinese pair Ren Xiang Yu and He Ji Ting in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Tee and Yap also advanced after a straight-game victory over Indonesia's Ali Faathir Rayhan and Devin Artha Wahyudi, setting up a match against Japan's Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami.

On the women's side, Malaysia's doubles campaign ended prematurely as Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, along with Low Zi Yu and Noraqilah Maisarah, were eliminated in the second round. Tan and Muralitharan faced a tough battle against Thailand's Benyapa and Nuntakarn Aimsaard, ultimately losing in a closely contested match. This defeat marked their second consecutive loss to the Thai sisters, leveling their head-to-head record at 2-2.