
Malaysia Masters 2025: Wei Chong-Kai Wun clinch historic men's doubles title
NATIONAL men's doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun made amends for their Malaysia Masters 2023 runners-up heartbreak when they stunned compatriots and 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to be crowned as the 2025 edition champions.
Fifth seeds Wei Chong-Kai Wun were in cruise control from the start of the opening set in the battle at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, racing to a 6-1 lead.
The world No. 8 then widened the gap to nine points at 20-11, largely due to a string of unforced errors, especially at the net by fourth seeds Aaron-Wooi Yik and closed it out with 21-12.
Shaking off early nerves, the world No. 3 Aaron-Wooi Yik unleashed an aggressive display in the second set, surging to an 11-8 lead at the interval and maintaining their momentum to force a deciding set with 21-15.
It was a close fight in the early stages of the third set, with both pairs locked at 8-8, but from then on Wei Chong-Kai Wun kept their cool and defended well to thwart their opponents from gaining any real momentum.
A thunderous smash from Wei Chong sealed a famous 21-16 victory over their senior compatriots in a 50-minute rubber set battle, making them the first Malaysian pair to win the men's doubles title at the Malaysia Masters since Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah in 2013.
Today's victory not only marked their third win in five meetings against Aaron-Wooi Yik, but also their second title of the year, having clinched the Indonesia Masters 2025 by upsetting home favourites Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto, 21-11, 21-19, in January.
In Malaysia Masters 2023, Wei Chong-Kai Wun emerged as runners-up when they went down fighting 15-21, 24-22, 19-21 to South Korea's Kang Min Hyuk-Seo Seung Jae.
As Malaysia Masters 2025 champions, Wei Chong-Kai Wun pocketed US$37,525 (approximately RM159,000) prize money while Aaron-Wooi Yik earned US$18,050 (about RM76,000) as runners-up.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Two pairs in LA Olympics a possibility but Rexy stays wary of long road ahead
Still at the top: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani reached No. 1 in the world last month. PETALING JAYA: The more the merrier. With world No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 7) and Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi (No. 24) making their marks in the men's doubles, there is a good chance for Malaysia to have a maximum of two pairs in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The prospect is thrilling but the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky wants the boys to be on their toes as a lot of things can change in the next three years. 'Now, we have two pairs in the top two rankings in the world. We also have Wei Chong-Kai Wun and Arif-Roy King behind them,' said Rexy. 'Our players' rise is good as it gives them confidence and will put pressure on other countries. 'We hope to have four pairs in the world's top four before the Olympics in 2028. There's a good chance for four pairs to fight for the two spots to qualify for the Olympics.' A country is allowed a maximum of two pairs in the showpiece event as long as both pairs are ranked in the world's top eight when the qualifying period ends. Rexy acknowledged that the road to the Olympics is still long and wants his charges not to take their foot off the pedal as they bid to end Malaysia's wait for the elusive gold medal. 'I do feel satisfied with our players' achievements but we can't afford to rest on our laurels as there are still many tournaments left and a long way still to go for the Olympics,' said Rexy. 'We may slip up if we are satisfied now but if we stay hungry and work hard from now on, I'm confident with the support of all parties, we have a good chance to win gold in 2028. We need to work even harder after this to maintain the players' performances. At the same time, we need to keep an eye on the progress of the pairs from the other countries to stay ahead of them.' Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun have been in fine form this year while Sze Fei-Izzuddin reached No. 1 in the world last month after their good showings last year and in January. Youngsters Roy King-Arif have also shown promise since combining in 2023. Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who captured the Indonesian Masters in January and Malaysian Masters last month were included in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme geared up towards the 2028 Olympics for the first time. The other shuttlers in RTG are Aaron-Wooi Yik, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women's doubles) and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles).


New Straits Times
17 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Brazil-born Figueiredo thrilled by reception from Malaysian fans
KUALA LUMPUR: The man from the Western Hemisphere will never forget his Malaysia debut. Joao Figueiredo scored a goal against Vietnam and was named Man of the Match in an Asian Cup qualifier at the National Stadium yesterday. The 29-year-old proved to be a life wire for Malaysia upfront with his tremendous work-rate, and sparked a 4-0 win over Vietnam in their Group F match. The Brazil-born striker, who currently plays for Turkish club, Istanbul Basakşehir, was delighted with the reception from Malaysian fans at Bukit Jalil. He described it as "unforgettable". "I'm very happy, I've dreamt of this moment for a long time, but the most important thing was not my goal, it was to win, to follow our target. Our team performance was very good, but we can improve. I'm very happy to be here, I'm very proud," said Figueiredo. "From day one, I've been warmly welcomed by everyone here. Playing in front of more than 60,000 fans at the stadium was an incredible experience. Bukit Jalil will always be in my memory. "We've only been together for two weeks, but I believe we'll grow stronger from here. This is only the first step," added Figueiredo, who helped Malaysia end a 11-year winless run against Vietnam.


New Straits Times
17 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Verstappen needs to stay out of trouble in Canada
MONTREAL: Max Verstappen will have to keep out of trouble as he chases an unprecedented fourth Canadian Grand Prix win in a row this weekend, with only a penalty point between the Formula One champion and a race ban. The Red Bull driver has won for the last three years in Montreal, the last time after starting alongside Mercedes' pole-sitter George Russell – the same rival he clashed with two weekends ago – in a qualifying draw. How Verstappen will respond is an open question but others are sure to want to take whatever advantage they can of the situation at a track famed also for changeable weather. "He mustn't do anything wrong over the next two race weekends, and of course he will be told not to do anything rash," Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko wrote in a column for post-Spain. "It would be a catastrophe if he couldn't start in Austria (the race after Canada)." While McLaren, with Oscar Piastri leading Lando Norris by 10 points after nine of 24 races, will be the team to beat again, Mercedes will fancy their chances in the season's second race in North America. "It's a track where we've tended to find our feet relatively well in the past," said Mercedes technical director James Allison. "So I'm looking forward to it. "We've got one or two new bits to take with us and we'll see how we get on." Mercedes have not won since Las Vegas last November, with Russell's second place in Bahrain in April the best they have managed so far. McLaren have won seven of nine but last triumphed in Canada with Lewis Hamilton in 2012, although historically they have won more times (13) than any team there. The battle between Piastri and Norris could be about to heat up. Ferrari, now up to second in the constructors' standings, last won with Sebastian Vettel in 2018 at a track named after their late local great Gilles Villeneuve. "McLaren is still ahead, but we're closing the gap step-by-step," said team boss Fred Vasseur. The circuit holds fond memories for Ferrari's seven-times world champion Hamilton, who took his first career F1 victory there in 2007 and shares with Michael Schumacher the record of seven wins in Canada. Hamilton was down after Spain, where he finished only sixth and was overtaken by Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, and needs a morale booster. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll is the only Canadian driver but missed the race in Spain due to hand and wrist pain. The team have yet to confirm his fitness but expect him to be back for the home crowd. US-owned Haas will be celebrating their 200th start with a retro grey livery similar to the one they started out with in 2016. "From nothing to 200 races is significant because not many new teams survive more than two seasons, and they disappear without scoring a single point," said principal Ayao Komatsu.