KUALA LUMPUR – Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik’s campaign at the Super 750 China Masters ended in the second round after the country’s top men’s doubles pair were defeated by China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu at the Shenzhen Bay Gymnasium today.
Despite a fiercely contested match lasting 75 minutes, the Malaysians ranked second in the world, succumbed to their opponents’ prowess, with the 25-27, 21-18, 17-21 result marking their first defeat to the Chinese pair in two meetings.
In another men’s doubles match, Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun put up a heroic display despite losing to China’s world number eight Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi.
The world number 20 pair, who finished as runners-up in the Arctic Open, started well in the first game by winning 21-17 before losing to the Chinese pair 11-21, 13-21 in an exhilarating match that lasted 53 minutes.
Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi will take on the newly crowned Kumamoto Masters champion He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu for a spot in the semi-finals.
In the women’s singles category, Goh Jin Wei will face China’s world number three, Chen Yu Fei later today.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles category, Goh Jin Wei couldn’t cope with the dominance of China’s world number three, Chen Yu Fei as the world number 31 lost 9-21,16-21 in a match that lasted for 36 minutes.
Earlier today, independent men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia stormed into the quarterfinals of the tournament after defeating home favourite Lu Guang Zu 21-10, 21-12 in a match that lasted 40 minutes.
World number 11 Zii Jia, seeking his sixth semifinal appearance on the World Tour this season, will take on Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto tomorrow to secure a slot in the semifinals. – November 23,2023