Shenzhen, China: Malaysia’s new men’s doubles combination Soh Wooi Yik and Aaron Tai made a winning start at the China Masters, while China’s Shi Yuqi endured another disappointing first-round exit just two weeks after his early departure from the 2026 BWF World Championships.
Soh and Aaron fought back from a game down to defeat Japan’s Hiroki Okamura and Kyohei Yamashita 18-21, 21-12, 21-15 in 48 minutes.
Elsewhere, Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao was eliminated by Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani withdrew from their men’s doubles match, while Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew produced one of the biggest badminton results of the opening round by comfortably defeating Shi.
Soh Wooi Yik-Aaron Tai Win First China Masters Match Together
Soh and Aaron continued to attract attention as one of Malaysia’s newly formed men’s doubles partnerships.
Playing together at the China Masters for the first time, the Malaysians had to recover after Okamura and Yamashita edged the opening game 21-18.
Soh and Aaron responded strongly in the second, taking control to win 21-12 before completing the comeback with a 21-15 victory in the deciding game.
- Winners: Soh Wooi Yik/Aaron Tai of Malaysia
- Defeated: Hiroki Okamura/Kyohei Yamashita of Japan
- Score: 18-21, 21-12, 21-15
- Match duration: 48 minutes
The partnership carries an eight-year age difference, with the experienced Soh now playing alongside the younger Aaron as Malaysia continues testing different men’s doubles combinations.
Soh-Aaron to Face Chen Boyang-Liu Yi
The Malaysians will next meet China’s Chen Boyang and Liu Yi for a place in the next round.
Chen and Liu advanced after their Indian opponents Hariharan Amsakarunan and Arjun Madathil Ramachandran were unable to complete their match.
The Chinese pair were leading 11-8 when the contest ended, setting up an intriguing second-round clash with Soh and Aaron in front of the home crowd.
Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King Also Advance
Malaysia enjoyed another men’s doubles victory through Tee Kai Wun and Yap Roy King.
They also had to come from behind, defeating Chinese Taipei’s He Zhi Wei and Huang Jui Hsuan 18-21, 21-16, 21-9.
After dropping a competitive opening game, Tee and Yap improved as the match progressed and dominated the decider.
- Winners: Tee Kai Wun/Yap Roy King of Malaysia
- Defeated: He Zhi Wei/Huang Jui Hsuan of Chinese Taipei
- Score: 18-21, 21-16, 21-9
Sze Fei-Izzuddin Withdraw After Opening Game
Tee and Yap had been in line for a possible all-Malaysian showdown against world No. 6 Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
That meeting will not happen after Sze Fei and Izzuddin were forced to withdraw from their opening-round match against Indonesia’s young combination Ali Faathir Rayhan and Devin Artha Wahyudi.
The Malaysian professionals stopped after just 18 minutes, having lost the opening game 16-21.
Izzuddin appeared unable to perform at his usual level and was understood to be struggling with an injury before the pair decided not to continue.
Leong Jun Hao Falls to Jonatan Christie
Malaysia’s challenge in men’s singles came to an early end after Leong Jun Hao was beaten by Indonesia’s top seed Jonatan Christie.
Jonatan completed a 21-17, 21-19 victory in 44 minutes, but the second game could easily have gone in a different direction.
Leong built a 19-15 advantage and appeared well positioned to force a deciding game.
Instead, Jonatan produced a remarkable six-point run, winning six consecutive rallies to turn a four-point deficit into a 21-19 victory.
- Winner: Jonatan Christie of Indonesia
- Defeated: Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia
- Score: 21-17, 21-19
- Match duration: 44 minutes
It was Jonatan’s third victory over Leong this year and moved their career head-to-head record to 5-3 in favor of the Indonesian.
Leong’s defeat also brought Malaysia’s men’s singles campaign at the tournament to an early conclusion.
Shi Yuqi Suffers Another First-Round Defeat
The biggest surprise of the day came in men’s singles, where China’s sixth seed Shi Yuqi was comprehensively beaten by Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.
Loh needed only 30 minutes to defeat Shi 21-11, 21-10, handing the Chinese star his second consecutive first-round exit.
- Winner: Loh Kean Yew of Singapore
- Defeated: Shi Yuqi of China
- Score: 21-11, 21-10
- Match duration: 30 minutes
The defeat comes only two weeks after Shi suffered another major disappointment at the World Championships in New Delhi.
Shi entered that tournament as one of the leading contenders but was stunned in the opening round by India’s Ayush Shetty, ending his World Championships campaign far earlier than expected.
Returning to China offered Shi an immediate opportunity to respond, but Loh never allowed him to settle into the match.
Loh Kean Yew Beats Shi Yuqi for Second Straight Meeting
The result also continued Loh’s recent success against the Chinese star.
Loh had previously defeated Shi in the quarterfinals of the Asian Championships in Ningbo in April.
His latest win means the Singaporean has now beaten Shi in two consecutive meetings.
The overall head-to-head between the two players is now level at four victories apiece.
For Loh, the convincing manner of the victory was particularly encouraging. Holding a player of Shi’s quality to just 21 combined points across two games represented one of his strongest recent performances.
Loh Kean Yew to Face Weng Hongyang Next
Loh’s reward is another meeting with Chinese opposition in the round of 16.
The former world champion will next face Weng Hongyang of China as he attempts to continue his run in Shenzhen.
After defeating Shi in straight games, Loh enters that contest with considerable momentum.
Pressure Builds on Shi Yuqi After Consecutive Early Exits
For Shi, however, the back-to-back first-round defeats will inevitably raise questions about his form.
Two weeks ago, his World Championships campaign ended almost as soon as it began. Now, even with home-court advantage at the China Masters, he has suffered another opening-round loss.
The nature of the defeat may be particularly concerning. Loh did not need a deciding game or a dramatic finish, instead controlling both games 21-11 and 21-10.
For one of Chinese badminton’s leading men’s singles players, finding a response in the coming tournaments will now become increasingly important.
Contrasting Fortunes for Malaysia at China Masters
Malaysia’s opening day in Shenzhen produced a mixture of encouraging results and disappointments.
Soh Wooi Yik and Aaron Tai successfully passed another early test as a new partnership, while Tee Kai Wun and Yap Roy King also came through a three-game battle.
On the other hand, Sze Fei and Izzuddin’s withdrawal created concern over Izzuddin’s physical condition, while Leong Jun Hao will be disappointed after allowing a 19-15 second-game lead to slip away against Jonatan Christie.
Attention will now turn toward Soh and Aaron’s meeting with Chen Boyang and Liu Yi, while Loh Kean Yew’s clash with Weng Hongyang should be another closely watched men’s singles encounter.
China Masters Already Producing Major Badminton News
The opening round has already provided plenty of talking points, from Malaysia’s experimental men’s doubles combinations to another early defeat for Shi Yuqi.
Soh Wooi Yik and Aaron Tai will be hoping their comeback victory is only the beginning of a deeper run, while Loh Kean Yew has once again demonstrated that he remains capable of defeating the biggest names in world badminton.
For Shi, meanwhile, consecutive first-round exits at the World Championships and China Masters have turned what should have been an important stretch of the season into a difficult period.
With the tournament only beginning, the results in Shenzhen have already shown how quickly the landscape can change at the highest level of international badminton.
