Birmingham: Malaysian world no. 5 men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, continued their impressive run at the prestigious 2024 Yonex All England Championships, battling their way to the semi-finals on Friday.
The 2022 World Champions, known for their aggressive style and tactical prowess, likely used their experience and winning mentality to overcome the challenge from the 2022 All England champions Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana, winning 21-14, 21-11. This victory keeps them on track for a potential All England title.
Highlights of Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik vs. Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana in the 2024 All England quarter-finals:
Their opponents in the semi-finals are Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po-Hsuan of Taiwan, and Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi will play Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto in another men’s doubles semi-final match.
In men’s singles, Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia put up a strong fight but couldn’t convert, going down to Lakshya Sen of India 22-20, 16-21, 19-21. Sen will take on Jonatan Christie of Indonesia on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Viktor Axelsen, the world number one badminton player, suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the All England quarterfinals against Anthony Ginting of Indonesia. The match was marred by a controversial call that left Axelsen fuming.
The disputed call revolved around a potential net violation by Ginting. Axelsen was convinced that Ginting’s racket made contact with the net before the shuttlecock crossed over. This would have resulted in a point for Axelsen. However, the umpire disagreed and awarded the point to Ginting, who ended up winning 8-21, 21-18, 21-19.
Following the match, a visibly frustrated Axelsen approached Ginting to discuss the call. He directly asked Ginting if he had indeed hit the net. Axelsen also offered to buy Ginting coffee if the replay showed him to be right, hinting at his deep disappointment with the umpire’s decision.
Ginting will take on Christo Popov in the final four.
The women’s singles competition saw Carolina Marin spoil the match-up of the women’s singles “big four” in the All England semi-finals, as she defeated one of the “big four”, Chen Yufei, 21-17, 21-15.
On Saturday, An Se Young will play Akane Yamaguchi while Carolina Marin will take on Tai Tzu Ying.
Here are the 2024 All England semi-finals in women’s doubles and mixed doubles:
Women’s Doubles:
Rena Miyaura/Ayako Sakuramoto vs. Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida
Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong vs. Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee
Mixed Doubles:
Robin Tabeling/Selena Piek vs. Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino
Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong vs. Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping