Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s professional men’s doubles pair, Teo Ee Yi and Ong Yew Sin, delivered another nail-biting performance, thrilling thousands of fans at the Axiata Arena as they secured a quarterfinal spot at the Malaysia Open on Thursday.
Highlights of Teo Ee Yi and Ong Yew Sin vs. Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk in the 2025 Malaysia Open second round:
In their second-round match, the world number 24 duo once again needed three grueling sets to overcome South Korea’s newly paired Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk. Despite their recent partnership, the Korean pair put up an impressive fight, narrowly losing the first set 21-23.
The momentum shifted in the second set as Jin and Kang capitalized on Teo and Ong’s mistakes, taking the set 21-16 to force a decider. However, with strong crowd support, Teo and Ong regained their composure, sealing a 21-18 victory after 68 minutes of intense play.
In the first round, Teo and Ong caused a stir by defeating Indonesia’s world number four duo, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, in another three-set battle: 15-21, 21-17, 21-13.
At 32, Teo Ee Yi acknowledges the toll of age on his performance but remains focused.
“We don’t focus on whether our opponents are new or experienced; every pair here is of high quality,” Teo Ee Yi said.
“The Koreans had very solid defense, and it was tough to finish points against them. Age does play a role, and fatigue is definitely a factor for me now,” added Teo.
Looking ahead, Teo and Ong will face Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India for a spot in the semifinals.
“We’re taking it match by match. Last year wasn’t great for us, so we’re staying focused and treating every round as important as the first,” said Ong.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s world number six duo, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, fell in straight sets to Taiwan’s Lee Fang Chih and Lee Fang Jen, ranked 27th globally, losing 15-21, 18-21 in 47 minutes.
The loss marked a bittersweet farewell to their head coach, Tan Bin Shen, who will leave his position on Monday to lead Hong Kong’s team.
“We’re disappointed we couldn’t give him a proper send-off, but we’ve had meaningful achievements together, including our bronze medal at the Paris Olympics,” said Soh Wooi Yik.
Aaron reflected on their performance, admitting they struggled to pressure their opponents.
“We made too many easy mistakes, especially in the first set, giving away free points,” said Aaron.
Also advancing to the quarterfinals were Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, who will face Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov of France.
In mixed doubles, Malaysia will have two pairs in the quarterfinals. Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei will face Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito of Japan, while Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai will take on Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi of China.
