Suwon, South Korea – Day 1 of the Korea Open 2025 kicked off with mixed results for Malaysia as most Malaysian national players bowed out early, with the exception of men’s doubles duo Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal, who secured a confident spot in the second round.
The Super 500 tournament began Tuesday with the qualifying rounds, where all Malaysian participants were eliminated. Among them were men’s singles player Teh Jin Hong, men’s doubles pair Lau Yi Sheng/Lim Tze Jian, and mixed doubles team Loo Bing Kun/Go Pei Kee, who all failed to progress to the main draw.
Teh Jin Hong fell 7-21, 5-21 to Indonesia’s Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah, while Lau/Lim were outplayed by home favorites Cho Song Hyun/Jin Sung Ik, 7-21, 17-21.
In mixed doubles, Loo Bing Kun/Go Pei Kee lost a tight match 19-21, 18-21 to Taiwan’s Lin Bing-Wei/Lin Jhih Yun, missing their chance to face Japan’s Yuta Watanabe/Maya Taguchi in the first round.
In the women’s doubles draw, Go Pei Kee teamed up with Teoh Mei Xing, but the duo narrowly lost 19-21, 18-21 to Taiwan’s Hsu Yin-Hui and Lin Jhih Yun, exiting the tournament in the opening round.
Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal Deliver for Malaysia
Malaysia’s only success story of the day came from Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal, who defeated Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukphun/Pakkapon Teeraratsakul in straight games, 21-19, 21-12. The pair showed strong coordination and precise shot-making to book their place in the Round of 16.
Watch Highlights of Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal vs. Peeratchai Sukphun/Pakkapon Teeraratsakul in 2025 Korea Open first round:
They will next face a challenging test against Japan’s 4th seeds Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi on Thursday. The Japanese duo defeated Indonesia’s Muhammad Rian Ardianto/Yeremia Rambitan in their opening match.
Other Malaysian Men’s Doubles Results
Two other Malaysian men’s doubles pairs failed to make it past the first round:
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Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub/Tan Wee Kiong lost 18-21, 12-21 to Indonesia’s formidable pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.
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Low Hang Yee/Ng Eng Cheong had to retire due to injury early in their match against Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa/Kyohei Yamashita at 2–2 in the first game. This marks their second consecutive first-round exit after a similar result at the Hong Kong Open two weeks ago.
Malaysian Hope: Arif/Yap to Compete Next
With top Malaysian men’s doubles pairs Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin, and Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun skipping the Korea Open, Malaysia’s remaining hope lies in Junaidi Arif/Yap Roy King, the reigning Macau Open champions.
Arif/Yap are scheduled to face South Korea’s Jin Yong/Na Sung Seung in the first round on Wednesday.
First-Round Upsets
The opening round also saw a shock result as China’s No. 2 seeds Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang were upset by Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi/Hiroki Okamura, who rallied from a game down to claim victory.
Meanwhile, China’s Sun Wen Jun/Zeng Wei Han eliminated Korea’s sixth-seeded pair Kang Min Hyuk/Ki Dong Ju in a hard-fought match: 24-22, 14-21, 21-19.
Stay tuned for more badminton news and updates from the 2025 Korea Open, including match results, player interviews, and behind-the-scenes coverage from Suwon.
