Taipei: Malaysia’s newly formed men’s doubles combination Aaron Chia and Aaron Tai continued their encouraging run at the Taipei Open by advancing to the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The fifth-seeded Malaysians defeated Chinese Taipei’s Lai Po Yu and Tsai Fu Cheng 21-16, 21-13 in the second round of the BWF World Tour Super 300 badminton tournament.
Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan also progressed in women’s doubles, while young pair Low Zi Yu and Noraqilah Maisarah produced an upset to secure their place in the last eight.
Justin Hoh became Malaysia’s only remaining men’s singles player after Lee Zii Jia suffered a narrow three-game defeat to home favorite Lin Chun-Yi.
Aaron Chia-Aaron Tai Reach Taipei Open Quarterfinals
Aaron Chia and Aaron Tai delivered a controlled performance against Lai Po Yu and Tsai Fu Cheng, allowing the home pair few opportunities to dictate the rallies.
The Malaysians established their attacking rhythm in the opening game and pulled away to win 21-16.
They continued to apply pressure in the second game, maintaining their advantage around the front court before completing the match 21-13.
- Category: Men’s doubles
- Result: Aaron Chia/Aaron Tai of Malaysia defeated Lai Po Yu/Tsai Fu Cheng of Chinese Taipei
- Score: 21-16, 21-13
- Seeds: Aaron Chia/Aaron Tai were seeded fifth
Aaron and Tai will next face Chinese Taipei’s second seeds Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan for a place in the semifinals.
Lee and Yang advanced after surviving a three-game battle against Indonesia’s Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Daniel Edgar Marvino.
Lee Zii Jia Falls Short Against Lin Chun-Yi
Lee Zii Jia’s Taipei Open campaign ended in the men’s singles round of 16 after he lost a closely contested match against Chinese Taipei’s second seed Lin Chun-Yi.
The world No. 53 Malaysian battled for 54 minutes before falling 20-22, 21-11, 18-21 to the world No. 12 home player.
The result gave Lin a 3-2 advantage in their career head-to-head record.
Lee had entered the match with momentum after defeating Liao Jhuo-Fu in three games during the opening round, but he was unable to convert several important opportunities against Lin.
Lee Saves Three Game Points in Opening Game
Lee made a slow start and trailed 0-3 before spending most of the opening game behind on the scoreboard.
Lin earned three game points at 20-17, but Lee responded with three consecutive points to level the score for the first time at 20-20.
The comeback was ultimately unsuccessful. Lee sent an attacking shot wide before making a judgment error at the net, allowing Lin to take the opening game 22-20.
Lee Dominates Second Game
Lee produced a much stronger performance after the change of ends.
Trailing 6-7, he won four consecutive rallies to move ahead 10-7 and then gradually extended his advantage.
The Malaysian led 18-10 before closing out the second game 21-11 and forcing a decider.
Lin Survives Late Lee Zii Jia Fightback
The deciding game remained tight through the opening exchanges, with both players taking turns in the lead.
Lee held an 11-8 advantage at the mid-game interval, but Lin responded with four straight points after the change of ends to move ahead 12-11.
After several more changes of lead, Lin produced an 8-1 scoring run to establish a 19-14 advantage.
Lee refused to surrender and saved three match points after falling behind 15-20. Lin, however, maintained his attacking pressure and eventually completed the victory 21-18.
- Category: Men’s singles
- Result: Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei defeated Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia
- Score: 22-20, 11-21, 21-18
- Match duration: 54 minutes
- Head-to-head record: Lin leads Lee 3-2
Lin will meet Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan in the quarterfinals.
Justin Hoh Keeps Malaysia’s Men’s Singles Challenge Alive
There was better badminton news for Malaysia through Justin Hoh, who became the country’s only men’s singles representative in the Taipei Open quarterfinals.
Justin produced a determined performance to defeat Indonesia’s Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo and secure his place in the last eight.
The Malaysian will face South Korea’s Yoo Tae Bin on Friday for a place in the semifinals.
- Category: Men’s singles
- Winner: Justin Hoh of Malaysia
- Opponent: Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo of Indonesia
- Quarterfinal opponent: Yoo Tae Bin of South Korea
Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah Upset Third Seeds
Malaysia’s world No. 67 women’s doubles pair Low Zi Yu and Noraqilah Maisarah delivered one of the day’s most impressive results.
The young Malaysians recovered after losing a close opening game to defeat Chinese Taipei’s third seeds Hsu Yin-Hui and Lin Jhih Yun 20-22, 21-13, 21-11.
Low and Noraqilah responded confidently after the opening-game disappointment, controlling the second game before dominating the decider.
- Category: Women’s doubles
- Result: Low Zi Yu/Noraqilah Maisarah of Malaysia defeated Hsu Yin-Hui/Lin Jhih Yun of Chinese Taipei
- Score: 20-22, 21-13, 21-11
- Seeds: Hsu/Lin were seeded third
The Malaysians will face Thailand’s Hathaithip Mijad and Napapakorn Tungkasatan in the quarterfinals.
Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan Complete Comeback Victory
Top seeds Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan avoided an early exit after recovering from a difficult opening game against Chinese Taipei’s Yan Fei Chen and Liang Ching Sun.
The Malaysian world-class pair struggled for rhythm at the start and lost the first game 11-21.
Pearly and Thinaah responded strongly, taking control of the second game 21-12 before completing the comeback with a 21-15 victory in the decider.
- Category: Women’s doubles
- Result: Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan of Malaysia defeated Yan Fei Chen/Liang Ching Sun of Chinese Taipei
- Score: 11-21, 21-12, 21-15
- Seeds: Pearly/Thinaah were the top seeds
Pearly and Thinaah will meet Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chih-Chun and Yang Chu Yun in the last eight.
Chen Tang Jie-Clarissa San Eliminated in Mixed Doubles
Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Clarissa San were unable to join their teammates in the quarterfinals after losing to Thailand’s fourth seeds Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat.
The world No. 172 Malaysian combination won the opening game but could not maintain its advantage, eventually losing 21-17, 12-21, 16-21 to the world No. 21 Thai pair.
- Category: Mixed doubles
- Result: Ruttanapak Oupthong/Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat of Thailand defeated Chen Tang Jie/Clarissa San of Malaysia
- Score: 17-21, 21-12, 21-16
- Seeds: Ruttanapak/Jhenicha were seeded fourth
The Thai pair will meet Chinese Taipei’s Wu Guan Xun and Lee Chia Hsin in the quarterfinals.
Wu and Lee advanced after defeating Malaysia’s Low Han Chen and Chan Wen Tse 21-18, 21-17.
Taipei Open Mixed Doubles Quarterfinal Matchups
- Ruttanapak Oupthong/Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat of Thailand vs. Wu Guan Xun/Lee Chia Hsin of Chinese Taipei
- Yang Po-Hsuan/Hu Ling Fang of Chinese Taipei vs. Haruki Kawabe/Kokona Ishikawa of Japan
- Ye Hong Wei/Nicole Gonzales Chan of Chinese Taipei vs. Yuta Watanabe/Maya Taguchi of Japan
- Supak Jomkoh/Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn of Thailand vs. Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja of Indonesia
Malaysia’s Taipei Open Quarterfinalists
- Men’s singles: Justin Hoh
- Men’s doubles: Aaron Chia/Aaron Tai
- Women’s doubles: Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan
- Women’s doubles: Low Zi Yu/Noraqilah Maisarah
Malaysia will therefore have four representatives across three categories when the Taipei Open quarterfinals begin on Friday.
Aaron Chia and Aaron Tai will face one of their toughest tests since beginning their new partnership, while Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan will attempt to produce a more consistent performance after surviving their second-round scare.
Justin Hoh’s progress also provides an important opportunity for the young Malaysian to gain valuable ranking points and experience at the closing stages of a World Tour tournament.
