Hon Jian-Haikal send Asian Games champs packing in Macau
The upset has guaranteed Malaysia a place in Sunday's final, with Hon Jian-Haikal set to face compatriots Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King in the last four on Saturday.
World No. 52 Hon Jian-Haikal showed grit and composure to fight back from 18-14 down in the decider and edge world No. 9 Satwik-Chirag 21-14, 13-21, 22-20.
It was a much-needed confidence boost for the injury-hit duo, marking their first semi-final appearance of the year.
Meanwhile, world No. 24 Arif-Roy King made light work of an all-Malaysian quarter-final, dispatching world No. 23 Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong 21-12, 21-16 in just 30 minutes.
Arif-Roy King had more reason to celebrate this week after securing a late entry into the World Championships.
Their spot was confirmed by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday following the withdrawal of Indonesia's world No. 18 pair Daniel Marthin-Shohibul Fikri.
Now, both Malaysian pairs will be eyeing a breakthrough by reaching their maiden final and capping off a turbulent run on the international circuit.
Meanwhile, 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist Goh V Shem and his South Korean partner Choi Sol Gyu went down 21-18, 21-13 to Indonesia's world No. 8 Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza Isfahani in 35 minutes.
V Shem famously won his Olympic medal with Wee Kiong and the pair reached the top of the world rankings in 2016 before splitting in 2021.
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