Birmingham: Malaysia’s young men’s doubles pair Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing produced one of the biggest surprises in early-round badminton action at the 2026 YONEX All England Championships in Birmingham.
Making their debut appearance at the prestigious tournament, the 2024 World Junior champions stunned fourth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India in straight games, 23-21, 21-12.
The Malaysian duo battled through a tense opening game before dominating the second to complete one of the most notable results of the first round in this year’s All England badminton tournament.
Watch Match Highlights
Watch highlights of Aaron Tai/Kang Khai Xing vs. Rankireddy/Shetty below:
Malaysian Pair Enjoying the Moment
Speaking after the match, Kang said the pair approached the tournament with a relaxed mindset.
“We’re very happy to win because this is our first All England. We just tried to enjoy the match and take it point by point,” he said.
Tai added that the pair focused on executing what they had practiced rather than thinking about the occasion.
“We didn’t expect too much. We just tried to play the way we trained.”
The Malaysians will now face China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the second round. The Chinese pair arrive in strong form after capturing the German Open title last week.
Man Wei Chong / Tee Kai Wun Advance
Elsewhere in the men’s doubles draw, Malaysia’s Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun secured a confident first-round victory.
The world No.6 pair defeated Taiwan’s Lee Fang-Chih and Lee Fang-Jen 21-17, 21-16 in 41 minutes, extending their winning record against the Taiwanese duo to three consecutive matches.
After suffering an early exit at last year’s All England, Man and Tee will now meet Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin in the next round.
Another all-Malaysian clash awaits in the second round, where second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik are scheduled to face compatriots Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King.
Leong Jun Hao Reaches All England Round of 16
In men’s singles, Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao produced a determined performance to reach the last 16 for the first time at the All England.
The world No.26 defeated Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, ranked 13th in the world, 21-18, 13-21, 21-17 after a grueling one hour and 21 minutes on court.
The victory helped Jun Hao make amends for last year’s tournament, where he was eliminated in the opening round by Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie.
However, the draw opened up unexpectedly when Denmark’s third seed Anders Antonsen suffered a shock defeat to Japan’s Koki Watanabe 8-21, 12-21.
Watanabe will now face Jun Hao in the second round as the Malaysian looks to continue his run at one of badminton’s most prestigious events.
All England Continues to Deliver Drama
The opening rounds of the All England Championships have already produced several memorable moments, with emerging players challenging established stars across the draw.
With multiple Malaysian shuttlers advancing and several seeds already eliminated, the tournament promises more dramatic badminton action as the competition progresses in Birmingham.
