Vantaa, Finland — Team Malaysia enjoyed a memorable day at the 2025 Arctic Open, with both Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan powering their way into the finals after hard-fought semi-final victories.
In the men’s doubles, world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik looked unstoppable as they defeated Thailand’s No. 8 seeds Kittinupong Kedren/Dechapol Puavaranukroh in straight games, 21–15, 21–14, extending their head-to-head record to four consecutive wins.
Watch highlights:
In the other semi-final, compatriots Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal narrowly missed out on joining them, falling 16–21, 23–25 to England’s Ben Lane/Sean Vendy after a 47-minute thriller. Choong and Haikal fought bravely, leading 17–13 in the second game before Lane and Vendy rallied back to snatch the match in straight games.
Chia and Soh will now face Ben Lane/Sean Vendy in the final, setting up an exciting Malaysia-England showdown for the men’s doubles title.
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, Chinese Taipei’s veteran Chou Tien Chen came from behind to overcome France’s Arnaud Merkle 13–21, 21–13, 21–13. The No. 2 seed advances to the final, where he will meet Thailand’s top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who ousted Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke 21–15, 21–18.
Malaysia’s joy continued in the women’s doubles, where Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan reached the Arctic Open final for the second straight year after defeating Taiwan’s Hsieh Pei Shan/Hung En-Tzu in a three-game comeback, 22–24, 21–8, 21–17.
Watch highlights:
After losing a tight opening game, Tan and Thinaah dominated the second with crisp defense and fast net play before sealing the decider with composure. It marked their second win over the Taiwanese pair this season, following their triumph at the Japan Open in July.
Their final opponents will be Japan’s Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi, who survived a 102-minute marathon to defeat compatriots Arisa Igarashi/Chiharu Shida 21–14, 12–21, 26–24.
In the women’s singles, world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan cruised past India’s 18-year-old rising star Anmol Kharb 21–10, 21–13 to secure her second BWF World Tour final appearance of the year. She will face Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who edged compatriot Ratchanok Intanon 28–26, 21–18 in an emotional all-Thai semi-final.
In mixed doubles, China confirmed an all-Chinese final, with No. 1 seeds Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin set to meet No. 2 seeds Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping after both pairs dominated their Thai opponents in the semi-finals.
With Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan both in contention for titles, Malaysian fans have every reason to celebrate as the Arctic Open 2025 finals promise high-intensity badminton and potential historic triumphs.
