Azriyn-Wee Kiong stun Lee twins to reach China Open second round
The world No. 25 Malaysians prevailed 21-16, 18-21, 21-14 against the world No. 22 Taiwanese twins to continue their encouraging run of form, having reached the quarter-finals at the Japan Open just last week.
Azriyn-Wee Kiong, who only teamed up last year, have shown promising cohesion in recent months and will now be aiming to build further momentum as they face stiffer tests ahead in the Super 1000 tournament.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Herry vows to rearm duo for world conquest
KUALA LUMPUR: Herry IP has proved in the past that he could bounce back spectacularly after a setback. And the national men's doubles coach has vowed to do so again after Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's setback in the China Open final in Changzhou on Sunday. Known as the "Fire Dragon" for his tenacity, Herry is rearming Aaron-Wooi Yik for the Paris World Championships on Aug 25–31. Aaron-Wooi Yik are looking to Herry to reignite their game, like what he has done before. Their careers hit rock bottom early this year when they crashed out in the All England first round. Then Herry pulled the duo up again, guiding them to the Asian crown, Thailand Open and Singapore Open titles, and second place at the Malaysia Masters. However, on Sunday, world No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik, who were eyeing their first Super 1000 title, were stunned 21-15, 21-14 by Indonesia's world No. 210 Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri. On the plane back from China, the Herry homework has begun. "I remain optimistic about preparing the players thoroughly for the World Championships, and we still have four weeks to go," said Herry. "We will analyse and address Aaron-Wooi Yik's weaknesses and ensure they are well-prepared for the major event." Herry said Aaron-Wooi Yik could not reprise the form that saw them destroy India's Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the last four, as Fajar-Shohibul proved to be a different cup of tea. "Aaron-Wooi Yik couldn't reproduce their semi-final form in the title match. They lost to Fajar-Shohibul in terms of strategy. Fajar-Shohibul were dominant, brave, and also calm in controlling the front court." Herry, who is a legend in Indonesia for producing world and Olympic champions, will want to do the same for Malaysia in Paris. A man who measures his success with trophies, Herry will be determined to help Aaron-Wooi Yik, the 2022 world champions, scale similar heights again.
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Bigger gain after pain
Tough battle: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in action against Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri during the China Open men's doubles final in Changzhou yesterday. — AFP PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have vowed to make amends after missing out on the China Open title by going all out to capture gold in the World Championships. Aaron-Wooi Yik were hoping to win their first World Tour Super 1000 title but were denied by Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, losing 15-21, 14-21 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou yesterday. While it was a disappointing end after a good run in the tourney, the world No. 2 pair are keen to use the pain to drive them to the world title in Paris from Aug 25-31. Aaron-Wooi Yik created history by becoming the first Malaysian shuttlers to win gold in the 2022 edition in Tokyo before claiming bronze in 2023 and are now eyeing a third medal in Paris. 'Our goal is the gold medal in the world meet. We hope to keep improving and grab it,' Aaron told the Badminton World Federation (BWF). 'Next we need to recover and prepare well for the tournament.' Wooi Yik said: 'We still have almost a month to prepare and we want to keep our rhythm until Paris. 'We know there will be high expectations on us but we just want to stay calm because we believe the past is past. Our recent game play is different, so we just believe in each other and the coach's training. We don't expect too much but we still believe we can make it.' One pair who will not be in Aaron-Wooi Yik's way in the world meet are Fajar-Shohibul as the Indonesians have only recently formed a temporary partnership. Fajar has instead qualified for the prestigious tourney with former partner Rian Ardianto. In Changzhou, Aaron-Wooi Yik could not raise their game against Fajar-Shohibul and went down in just 35 minutes to the pumped up Indonesians in a fast-paced match. It was Aaron-Wooi Yik's second defeat in the China Open final after they finished runners-up to home favourites Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the 2023 edition. Aaron admitted that he and Wooi Yik found it harder to play against scratch pairings. 'All their shots were high quality and we couldn't handle them,' said Aaron. 'We always need some time to analyse scratch pairings and adapt against them. We had a game plan against them but they played very well.' Despite missing out on the crown again, Aaron-Wooi Yik are feeling positive about their performance ahead of the Paris showpiece after turning around their form following first-round exits in their last two outings in the Indonesian and Japan Opens. The duo had also made it into their fifth final of the year after capturing the Asian Championships, Singapore Open, Thailand Open and finishing runners-up to teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the Malaysian Masters.
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
China make ambition clear with four home titles in all-local finals
PETALING JAYA: China sent a warning to their rivals ahead of the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris by sweeping four titles in the home Open in all-local finals. Men's singles shuttler Shi Yuqi (pic) led the charge when he fought hard to beat surprise finalist Wang Zhengxing 14-21, 21-14, 21-15 in 64 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou yesterday. World No. 2 Yuqi was the hot favourite against world No. 23 Zhengxing and duly proved his class and experience by capturing his first crown in the home Open and third World Tour Super 1000 title of the year after triumphing in the Malaysian Open and All-England. In the women's singles, world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi secured the title with a commanding 21-8, 21-13 victory over world No. 3 Han Yue in a one-sided final. Han Yue had made it into the title match after South Korea's world No. 1 An Se-young retired from their semi-final match while trailing 19-21, 6-11 due to a knee injury a day earlier. World No. 1 pairs Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning and Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping had earlier justified their top billings by claiming the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles respectively. Shengshu-Tan Ning overcame a stiff challenge from world No. 7 Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian, coming out on top 24-22, 17-21, 21-14 in a thrilling match which lasted 69 minutes. It was the duo's fourth title of the year after their wins in the Indonesian Open, Japan Open and Malaysian Masters and underlined their status as favourites for gold in the world meet. Yanzhe-Dongping also flexed their muscles by ousting world No. 2 Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin 23-21, 21-17, denying the latter back-to-back titles after their success in the Japan Open last week. Yanzhe-Dongping added to their victories this year in the Malaysian Masters and Thailand Open. China will now be in confident mood ahead of the Paris showpiece with the pressure now firmly on their rivals in the world meet.
