VANTAA, FINLAND – The 2025 BWF World Tour returns to Europe this week, and Malaysia’s top badminton doubles teams are ready to make a statement at the Arctic Open Super 500, held in Vantaa, Finland from October 7–12.
Former world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, currently ranked World No. 2, enter the tournament as the top seeds. They’ll begin their campaign against Danish pair Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard. A win would potentially set up an all-Malaysian second-round battle against fellow countrymen Low Hang Yee/Ng Eng Cheong.
Right behind them are the defending champions, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin, seeded second. Their opening match will be against Scotland’s Alexander Dunn/Adam Pringle, followed by a possible matchup with Junaidi Arif/Yap Roy King, another Malaysian pair.
Adding further firepower, national pairs Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun and Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal are set to clash in the first round, ensuring at least one Malaysian pair advances to the next stage.
Pearly/Thinaah Set for Women’s Doubles Battle
Malaysia’s only representatives in women’s doubles, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, will take to the court as the second seeds. Their first test comes against Austria’s Serena Au Yeong/Anna Hagspiel, and they could meet Indonesia’s Kusuma/Puspitasari in the second round.
China’s Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning and Japan’s newly formed pair Arisa Igarashi/Chiharu Shida round out the strongest contenders in the women’s doubles bracket.
Mixed Doubles & Singles Overview
In mixed doubles, the independent husband-wife team Goh Soon Huat/Shevon Jemie Lai will face Alexander Dunn/Julie MacPherson of Scotland in their first-round match.
Malaysia will not be represented in the singles category at this event. Key names such as Lee Zii Jia, Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh, and even world champion Shi Yuqi (China) are absent from the draw.
The men’s singles will instead be headlined by top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand) and defending champion Chou Tien Chen (Chinese Taipei). On the women’s side, with Korea’s An Se Young sitting out, Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) and Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand) are the players to watch.
Arctic Open as a Launchpad
For Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, the Arctic Open offers more than just ranking points—it’s a chance to build rhythm and confidence before heading into the prestigious Denmark Open and French Open later this month.
With several high-stakes all-Malaysian encounters expected and world-class contenders in every bracket, the Arctic Open 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting Super 500 events of the season.
