BIRMINGHAM – The latest badminton news from the prestigious All England Open saw Malaysia celebrating success as Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan advanced to the semi-finals, while the women’s singles and mixed doubles final four were also confirmed after an intense day of quarter-final action.
Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik Win All-Malaysian Battle
Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik secured a hard-fought victory in an all-Malaysian clash, defeating Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun 21-16, 20-22, 21-14 to reach the semi-finals of the historic All England badminton championships.
Watch Match Highlights
This was the eighth meeting between the two Malaysian pairs on the international circuit, with Chia and Soh extending their head-to-head advantage to five wins.
The opening game remained tight early on before Chia and Soh pulled ahead after the score was tied at 6-6. A quick three-point burst helped them establish momentum as they entered the mid-game interval leading 11-7. Although Man and Tee narrowed the gap to 12-13, the experienced pair gradually stretched their lead and closed the game 21-16.
The second game proved far more dramatic. Man and Tee started strongly, leading 4-1 before Chia and Soh responded with a four-point run to take the advantage. The momentum swung repeatedly, and after trailing 11-16, Man and Tee staged a strong comeback to level the score at 16-16.
The game eventually went to deuce, where Man and Tee held their nerve to win 22-20 and force a deciding game.
In the third game, Chia and Soh quickly seized control with a dominant 7-0 run after conceding the opening point. From there, they maintained the lead comfortably and sealed the match 21-14.
The 2024 runners-up will now face China’s Chen Boyang/Liu Yi in the semi-finals. The Chinese duo booked their place with a convincing 21-16, 21-10 win over Indonesia’s Muhammad Rian Ardianto/Rahmat Hidayat.
Chia and Soh are still chasing their first All England title after finishing as runners-up in both 2019 and 2024.
Pearly Tan/Thinaah Reach First All England Semi-Final
Malaysia also enjoyed success in women’s doubles badminton as Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan defeated Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari 21-9, 21-18 in just 43 minutes.
The victory improved their head-to-head record against the Indonesian pair to 5-1 and served as revenge for their loss at the Malaysia Open earlier this year.
More importantly, the win sends Tan and Thinaah into the All England semi-finals for the first time in their careers. Before this breakthrough, they had reached the quarter-finals four times (2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025).
They will now face Korea’s fourth seeds Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee, who defeated Japan’s Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto 21-18, 21-7.
The other women’s doubles semi-final will feature an all-Chinese clash between top seeds Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning and third seeds Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian.
Women’s Singles Semi-Final Lineup Confirmed
The women’s singles semi-final lineup at the All England badminton tournament promises several high-profile clashes.
World No.1 An Se Young of South Korea booked her spot after defeating Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-11, 21-14 in the quarter-finals.
She will face China’s Chen Yu Fei, who edged Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 23-21, 21-11.
In the other half of the draw, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi produced a strong comeback performance to defeat Denmark’s Line Christophersen 13-21, 21-17, 21-10.
Yamaguchi will meet China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the semi-finals. Wang secured her place after defeating Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki 21-13, 8-21, 21-16.
Mixed Doubles Semi-Final Matches Set
The mixed doubles competition also produced several exciting results as the semi-finalists were confirmed.
Hong Kong’s seventh seeds Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet defeated Denmark’s Mads Vestergaard/Christine Busch 21-18, 19-21, 21-15 to reach the final four.
They will face Chinese Taipei’s pairing of Ye Hong Wei/Nicole Gonzales Chan, who defeated Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul/Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-15, 21-12.
In the other semi-final, China’s Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui advanced after beating Indonesia’s Amri Syahnawi/Nita Violina Marwah 21-17, 18-21, 21-15.
The Chinese pair will face France’s Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue, who eliminated China’s Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin 21-16, 21-16.
With several of the world’s top badminton players still in contention, fans can expect thrilling matches as the All England Open approaches its decisive stages.
