South Korea: Malaysia will have a strong presence in the Korea Masters semifinals after Man Wei Chong and Soh Wooi Yik, Tee Kai Wun and Yap Roy King, as well as men’s singles player Cheam June Wei, all won their quarterfinal matches on Friday.
The results provided another encouraging sign for Malaysia’s reshuffled men’s doubles program, with both new combinations reaching the last four of the BWF World Tour Super 300 badminton tournament.
Cheam, meanwhile, continued his resurgence by surviving a 67-minute battle against Chinese Taipei’s seventh seed Su Li Yang to reach his first Super 300 semifinal in more than two years.
Man Wei Chong-Soh Wooi Yik Reach First Semifinal Together
Man Wei Chong and Soh Wooi Yik produced their most convincing performance since being paired together, needing just 25 minutes to defeat India’s Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy.
The Malaysians dominated from the beginning and never allowed the Indian pair to settle into the match.
Man and Soh raced through the opening game 21-7 before maintaining the same intensity in the second, closing out the match 21-8.
- Category: Men’s doubles quarterfinal
- Winners: Man Wei Chong/Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia
- Opponents: Krishna Prasad Garaga/Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy of India
- Score: 21-7, 21-8
- Match duration: 25 minutes
The Korea Masters is the fourth tournament for Man and Soh since Malaysia’s men’s doubles partnerships were reshuffled, and this marks their first semifinal appearance together.
They will face Japan’s Haruki Kawabe and Kenta Matsukawa for a place in the final.
Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King Beat Aaron Chia-Aaron Tai
Tee Kai Wun and Yap Roy King also reached the semifinals after winning an all-Malaysian quarterfinal against Aaron Chia and Aaron Tai.
Tee and Yap needed only 28 minutes to secure a 21-12, 21-15 victory over the Taipei Open runners-up.
Both partnerships were created as part of head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi’s reshuffling of Malaysia’s men’s doubles squad, but Tee and Yap were sharper throughout Friday’s encounter.
The decisive stretch came in the opening game. With Tee and Yap leading 11-8, they reeled off nine consecutive points to take complete control.
Aaron and Tai, who had played a demanding series of matches during their run to the Taipei Open final last week, struggled to match the pace of their teammates and were unable to force a third game.
- Category: Men’s doubles quarterfinal
- Winners: Tee Kai Wun/Yap Roy King of Malaysia
- Opponents: Aaron Chia/Aaron Tai of Malaysia
- Score: 21-12, 21-15
- Match duration: 28 minutes
Tee and Yap will meet Japan’s Shuji Sawada and Daigo Tanioka in the semifinals.
Malaysia’s New Men’s Doubles Combinations Show Progress
Having two newly formed Malaysian pairs in the Korea Masters semifinals represents an encouraging development for the national doubles program.
Man-Soh and Tee-Yap were both created following a major reshuffle, and the experiment is beginning to produce results at World Tour level.
Man and Soh are into their first semifinal together after four tournaments, while Tee and Yap will have an opportunity to reach their first final as a partnership.
Cheam June Wei Survives 67-Minute Quarterfinal Battle
Independent Malaysian men’s singles player Cheam June Wei also booked his place in the semifinals with a hard-fought victory over Chinese Taipei’s seventh seed Su Li Yang.
Cheam needed 67 minutes to prevail 23-21, 10-21, 21-18 in one of the most dramatic quarterfinal matches of the day.
The world No. 72 entered the tournament with renewed confidence after winning the Lin Dan Cup last month, and his Korea Masters run has extended that positive momentum.
- Category: Men’s singles quarterfinal
- Winner: Cheam June Wei of Malaysia
- Opponent: Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei
- Score: 23-21, 10-21, 21-18
- Match duration: 67 minutes
Cheam Survives Dramatic Opening Game
The first game provided the biggest turning point of the contest.
Cheam appeared to be in control when he reached 20-16 and held four game points, but Su responded with five consecutive points to move ahead.
Cheam refused to let the opportunity disappear. He forced the game into extra points and eventually edged it 23-21.
Su responded strongly in the second game, winning 21-10 to force a decider.
The Malaysian regained his composure in the third and remained steady during another close finish, eventually completing the victory 21-18.
Cheam June Wei Ends Long Super 300 Semifinal Drought
The result carries additional significance for Cheam, who had not reached a semifinal at a Super 300 tournament since the Orleans Masters in March 2024.
His quarterfinal appearance had already ended a drought of more than two years without reaching the last eight at this level, and he has now gone one step further.
Recovery will be important before the semifinals after his demanding 67-minute encounter with Su.
Cheam will face China’s Zhu Xuan Chen, who defeated compatriot Hu Zhe An 21-15, 10-21, 21-14 in another three-game quarterfinal.
- Men’s singles semifinal: Cheam June Wei of Malaysia vs. Zhu Xuan Chen of China
Yudai Okimoto Continues Winning Run
The other men’s singles semifinal will feature Japan’s Yudai Okimoto against South Korea’s Yoo Tae Bin.
Okimoto, who won the Taipei Open last week, continued his strong form by defeating Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan 21-17, 15-21, 21-18.
Yoo advanced after beating fellow South Korean Park Sang Yong 21-16, 21-8, giving him a second consecutive victory over a compatriot during the tournament.
- Yudai Okimoto of Japan: Defeated Jason Gunawan of Hong Kong 21-17, 15-21, 21-18
- Yoo Tae Bin of South Korea: Defeated Park Sang Yong of South Korea 21-16, 21-8
Malaysia’s Mixed Doubles Challenge Ends in Quarterfinals
Malaysia’s fortunes were very different in mixed doubles, where all three remaining pairs were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Chen Tang Jie and Clarissa San, Loo Bing Kun and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan, and Jimmy Wong and Cheng Su Yin were all unable to progress to the last four.
Chen Tang Jie-Clarissa San Fall to Japanese Pair
Chen Tang Jie and Clarissa San lost 20-22, 17-21 to Japan’s Haruki Kawabe and Kokona Ishikawa.
The Malaysians had opportunities in both games. They stayed level with the Japanese pair throughout the opening game and recovered from 19-20 to force extra points, but Kawabe and Ishikawa eventually took it 22-20.
Tang Jie and Clarissa then led 8-5 and later 16-13 in the second game before their momentum disappeared. The Japanese pair won five consecutive points to turn the game around and eventually completed the victory 21-17.
- Winners: Haruki Kawabe/Kokona Ishikawa of Japan
- Opponents: Chen Tang Jie/Clarissa San of Malaysia
- Score: 22-20, 21-17
Despite the defeat, reaching the quarterfinals represented Tang Jie and Clarissa’s best result since beginning their temporary partnership.
They had reached the last eight by upsetting Chinese Taipei’s world No. 45 and fourth-seeded pair Wu Hsuan Yi and Yang Chu Yun in the previous round.
Loo Bing Kun-Noraqilah Maisarah Beaten by Chinese Third Seeds
Loo Bing Kun and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan were unable to produce another upset, losing 14-21, 15-21 to China’s third seeds Gao Jia Xuan and Wu Meng Ying.
The Malaysians fought hard, particularly in the second game when they recovered to level the score at 15-15.
Gao and Wu responded by winning the next six points to secure their semifinal berth.
- Winners: Gao Jia Xuan/Wu Meng Ying of China
- Opponents: Loo Bing Kun/Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan of Malaysia
- Score: 21-14, 21-15
Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin Eliminated by Korean Second Seeds
Malaysia’s fifth seeds Jimmy Wong and Cheng Su Yin also saw their tournament end against South Korea’s second seeds Kim Jae Hyeon and Jang Ha Jeong.
The Korean pair won 21-17, 21-18.
Jimmy and Cheng recovered from 3-9 down in the opening game to draw level at 14-14, but they were unable to maintain the momentum as Kim and Jang closed out the game 21-17.
The Malaysians then established an 11-5 advantage in the second game, only for the Korean pair to respond with five consecutive points.
Kim and Jang eventually moved ahead and completed the match 21-18.
- Winners: Kim Jae Hyeon/Jang Ha Jeong of South Korea
- Opponents: Jimmy Wong/Cheng Su Yin of Malaysia
- Score: 21-17, 21-18
Korea Masters Semifinal Matchups Featuring Malaysians
- Men’s singles: Cheam June Wei of Malaysia vs. Zhu Xuan Chen of China
- Men’s doubles: Man Wei Chong/Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia vs. Haruki Kawabe/Kenta Matsukawa of Japan
- Men’s doubles: Tee Kai Wun/Yap Roy King of Malaysia vs. Shuji Sawada/Daigo Tanioka of Japan
Malaysian Badminton Enjoys Strong Korea Masters Run
Malaysia will enter semifinal day with three opportunities to reach the Korea Masters finals.
The progress of Man Wei Chong-Soh Wooi Yik and Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King is particularly significant as Malaysia continues to evaluate its newly formed men’s doubles partnerships.
Cheam June Wei’s resurgence has also become one of the biggest Malaysian badminton news stories of the tournament. After a long absence from the closing stages of Super 300 events, the 29-year-old is now one victory away from reaching the final.
Although Malaysia’s mixed doubles challenge ended in the quarterfinals, the performances of the new combinations still provided valuable match experience as the players continue adapting to their respective partnerships.
