Prayers answered as Arif-Roy King get golden ticket to Paris
PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King have double the reason to celebrate. Not only did they book a spot in the quarter-finals of the Macau Open yesterday, but they also earned a last-minute ticket to the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31.
According to the latest update from the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Arif-Roy King, who were initially second on the reserve list, made the cut following the withdrawal of several higher-ranked pairs.
Among those who pulled out are China's He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu and Indonesia's Muhammad Shohibul Fikri-Daniel Marthin.
Their inclusion means Malaysia will now have four men's doubles pairs at the world meet, including former world No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Asian champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, and Arif-Roy King.
"I felt we had a good chance since we were second on the reserve list, but I told Arif to pray a bit harder so that we could make it in," said Roy King.
"I'll definitely feel both nervous and excited to play there, as it will be our first appearance at the World Championships and having it in Paris makes it even more special.
"For both Arif and I, it's something we're really looking forward to."
The unexpected qualification has given Arif-Roy King a timely boost ahead of their quarter-final clash today against compatriots Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong.
Arif-Roy King booked their spot after ousting India's Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy-Sai Pratheek 21-18, 21-18, while Azriyn-Wee Kiong battled past Indonesia's young duo Muhammad Putra Erwiansyah-Daniel Marvino 21-14, 15-21, 21-17.
In the mixed doubles, Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing will take on second seeds Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi of China, while top seeds Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are set to face Adnan Maulana-Indah Cahya Sari Jamil.
Meanwhile, Justin Hoh is still in the running in the men's singles and will take on Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen next.
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