The 2024 Korea Masters, with a total prize pool of USD 210,000, begins tomorrow. Malaysia’s two-time Olympic bronze medalists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik enter the tournament as top seeds, with the goal of ending their title drought this year.
Their last victory was at the Denmark Open in October last year. Now, they are competing in the Super 300 tournament with the aim of claiming the title. In the first round, they will face Lee Jhe-Huei and Ye Hong-Wei from Chinese Taipei.
The primary objective for Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik is to secure a spot in the year-end finals.
Rasmus Kjær and Frederik Søgaard of Denmark are aiming to solidify their path to the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2024 as the second-seeded men’s doubles pair enters the Hylo Open 2024. Currently ranked No.10 in the HSBC Race to Finals, they must secure a top-seven finish to qualify, with reigning Olympic champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin already guaranteed a spot in the finals among the top eight.
Kjær and Søgaard are trailing Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun by 8,620 points, yet remain hopeful that strong performances at the Hylo Open and the last two qualifying events—the Kumamoto Masters Japan and Li-Ning China Masters—will help close the gap. Having reached two semifinals and two quarterfinals this season, they’re looking for another deep run in Saarbrücken to boost their standing.
Still, they face close competition. Pairs like Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, both with fewer than 10 events on record, have the potential to gain points quickly and surpass the Danish duo. Kjær and Søgaard realize the importance of maximizing this limited opportunity.
Withdrawals
Alex Lanier (France), who has had an impressive season, is one of four players who have withdrawn from the men’s singles competition, alongside Arnaud Merkle (France), Markus Barth (Norway), and Fabio Caponio (Italy). In men’s doubles, Robert Cybulski/Szymon Slepecki of Poland withdrew, as did two pairs in mixed doubles: Robert Cybulski/Kornelia Marczak (Poland) and Nicolas Franconville/Aline Muller (Switzerland).
The Round of 16 at the CLASH ROYALE Arctic Open 2024, powered by YONEX, proved difficult for most European players, with only two doubles pairs and one singles player advancing to the quarterfinals.
Despite the tough day, exciting matchups are set for tomorrow.
Alex Lanier of France faced Nhat Nguyen from Ireland in the only all-European clash of the day. After a tight 24-22 first game, Lanier dominated the second with a 21-9 victory. He will now challenge Chou Tien Chen from Chinese Taipei, whom he previously defeated at the Japan Open.
In men’s doubles, Danish pair Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen battled Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan, winning a three-game thriller 21-13, 13-21, 21-9.
The English duo of Ben Lane/Sean Vendy also secured their spot in the quarterfinals after a commanding 21-13, 21-8 victory over Malaysia’s third seeds Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik.
There’s been speculation that Chin Eei Hui might step in as the new coach for the independent men’s doubles team of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. However, before making their mark in the second round of the Hong Kong Open, the pair encountered a significant challenge.
In their first tournament since departing from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Goh and Nur Izzuddin were tested thoroughly by Taiwan’s Lee Fang-chih and Lee Fang-jen. They managed to secure a hard-fought victory with scores of 21-17, 15-21, 24-22 in a gripping 60-minute match at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon.
The path ahead is unlikely to get any easier for the world No. 12 pair as they prepare to face Indonesia’s Shohibul Fikri and Daniel Marthin in their bid for a quarterfinal spot.
Goh and Nur Izzuddin are currently the highest-ranked Malaysian men’s doubles pair competing here, given the absence of world No. 5 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
Although they’ve joined Rosman Razak’s independent coaching team, there’s potential for Eei Hui to come on board as their new coach. Eei Hui recently signed with the same sponsor, Victor, as Goh and Nur Izzuddin.
Previously, Eei Hui coached the independent pair Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi before relocating to New Zealand early last year to lead the North Harbour Club in Auckland.
It remains uncertain if Eei Hui will leave her current role and return to Malaysia to coach Goh and Nur Izzuddin.
In other news, the national pair Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun also advanced to the second round after a comeback win over teammates Yap Roy King and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi with scores of 15-21, 21-8, 21-11.
They will meet China’s Xie Haonan and Zeng Weihan in their next match.
Young talents Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing face a challenging first-round match today against South Korea’s world champions Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae, following their 21-12, 21-19 victory over Canada’s Lan Kan Kern and Larry Pong in the qualifiers.
Men’s doubles players Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (pictured) will make their debut as an independent pairing tomorrow at the Hong Kong Open, facing a tough challenge ahead.
With world No. 3 pairing Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik absent, world No. 12 Goh and Izzuddin will be Malaysia’s highest-ranked men’s doubles duo in the competition, but their path is fraught with obstacles as they are placed in the top half of the draw.
They could potentially face Indonesia’s Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana in the second round, while South Korea’s world champions Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae, and Denmark’s world No. 2 Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, could await them in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
Before that, Goh-Izzuddin face a tricky opening match against Taiwan’s world No. 26 duo Lee Fang-Chih and Lee Fang-Jen.
Last month, the Taiwanese pair defeated China’s world No. 7 pair He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu in the first round of the Japan Open, proving they are no pushovers. Goh-Izzuddin, meanwhile, have had a hectic few weeks, winning their biggest title to date at the Super 750 Japan Open and subsequently leaving the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to sign a sponsorship deal with Victor.
The pair are adjusting to their new identity as professional players and hope to make a strong impression in Hong Kong.
A solid performance in Hong Kong could propel Goh-Izzuddin into the world’s top 10.
Due to Soh Wooi Yik‘s recent toe fracture, Tan Kian Meng and Soh Wooi Yik have withdrawn from the Hong Kong Open, which will be held from September 10 to 15.
Malaysian men’s doubles coach Chen Bingsheng revealed the news to Bernama, emphasizing that the decision on whether the world No. 3 men’s doubles pair will return to the court depends on Soh Wooi Yik‘s recovery progress.
Chen stated that the 26-year-old Soh Wooi Yik is currently recovering well but is still unable to participate in high-intensity court training with his partner.
“He had a scan on Tuesday which showed significant improvement. The bone has healed, and the Malaysian Sports Institute (ISN) had previously stated that he needed to wait for new bone growth for recovery. Now that the bone has regrown, he can gradually resume leg movements.”
“He will not participate in the Hong Kong Open. We will continue to monitor his progress this week before deciding whether he will take part in the China Open.”
Chen made this statement to reporters during the Malaysian national badminton team’s training session today. He added that Soh Wooi Yik‘s toe fracture occurred during the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
On the evening of August 4th, at the 2024 Paris Olympic badminton tournament, the men’s doubles final and the men’s and women’s singles semifinals took place. Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang fell to Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, claiming the silver medal. Viktor Axelsen defeated Lakshya Sen to advance to the final once again, while Kunlavut Vitidsarn overcame Lee Zii Jia 2-0 to reach his first Olympic final. An Se-young reversed the match against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung to secure her place in the final, and Carolina Marín withdrew due to injury, allowing He Bingjiao to advance to the final.
In the men’s doubles final, the Chinese pair Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang faced off against the Chinese Taipei pair Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin. The match began with the Chinese Taipei team taking the lead, reaching the mid-game interval first. After the break, Liang and Wang adjusted quickly, equalizing the score. However, after a brief tussle, the Chinese Taipei pair regained the lead and won the first game 21-17. In the second game, Liang and Wang fell behind early but fought hard to catch up. Despite several errors, they never gave up, eventually overturning the deficit to win 21-18. The match went to a decisive game where both pairs were neck and neck. In the final moments, Liang and Wang could not overcome their opponents, losing 19-21 and thus earning the silver medal, while Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin successfully defended their Olympic men’s doubles title.
In the previous round, Denmark’s Astrup/Anders and Malaysia’s Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik were defeated by Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang and Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin, respectively, setting up the bronze medal match in the Paris Olympic men’s doubles event. Both pairs quickly got into the game, with intense competition from the start. The Danish pair aggressively controlled the net, leading 11-8 at the mid-game interval. After the break, they maintained their rhythm and won the first game 21-16. In the second game, the Danish pair continued their dominance, leading 20-16, but the Malaysian pair staged a comeback, winning six consecutive points to take the game. The final game saw a change in momentum, with the Malaysian pair leading after the early exchanges. The Danish pair fought back, bringing the score to 19-19. In the crucial moments, the Malaysian pair held their nerve to win 21-19, securing the bronze medal, their second Olympic men’s doubles bronze.
In men’s singles, Viktor Axelsen triumphed over Lakshya Sen with a score of 22-20, 21-14, advancing to the final for the second consecutive Olympics, marking his fourth straight victory against Sen. He will face Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final, who defeated Lee Zii Jia 21-14, 21-15, marking his second consecutive win against Lee and his first Olympic final appearance.
In women’s singles, Carolina Marín’s withdrawal allowed He Bingjiao to advance to the final, securing her second consecutive victory against Marín. She will face An Se-young, who reversed her match against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, winning 11-21, 21-13, 21-16 to achieve her ninth consecutive victory against Tunjung. Both players are making their first appearance in an Olympic final.
Lee Yang of Chinese Taipei concluded his career with an emphatic statement: an Olympic gold medal.
Lee and Wang Chi-lin made history by becoming the first pair to win the men’s doubles title twice, following a gripping 21-17, 18-21, 21-19 victory over Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang of the People’s Republic of China at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Sunday, 4 August.
The Tokyo 2020 champions also secured the first gold medal for their country in this edition of the Games. After the match, Lee announced it was the final match of his career.
“This is my last time, which is why I kissed the court to bid a proper farewell,” said Lee, who will turn 29 in eight days. “I will go to school to become an instructor and hopefully I can help develop the game of badminton.”
The Malaysian pair, Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh, defeated Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen to claim their second successive bronze medal.
The match lasted 76 minutes and had the Porte de la Chapelle Arena rocking. The contest was so close that a third game seemed almost certain from the start. The biggest lead in the entire match was a mere four points by the winners in the decisive set.
Wang Chang remarked that it was arguably the toughest match he and his partner had played in recent memory.
“The difference in the third game was two points,” Wang said. “I think it was one of the most intense matches we have played recently.”
Lee acknowledged that the three-year journey from Tokyo to back-to-back titles was a challenging one, marked by some criticism in their homeland.
However, he noted that they used the criticism as motivation to become the first men from Chinese Taipei to win multiple Olympic gold medals in any sport.
“When we won in Tokyo, not many people knew us. Now people recognize us,” Lee said. “We did not play well last year. We heard some people say that we were not good enough to represent our country.
“But despite being drawn into the toughest group, we still came away with a gold medal.”
Wang Chi-lin added: “We did experience a lot of ups and downs, but we managed to find a way to win. After the draw, we knew every match would be difficult.
“We grew amid all the negative comments. Our efforts were totally worth it.”
The badminton competition concludes on Monday with the two singles finals.
Su Wei Yik, born February 17, 1998, is a Malaysian national badminton player .
In July 2016, Soh Wooi Yik represented Malaysia at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, where he won the third place in the men’s doubles at the Asian Junior Championships with his youth partner, Huang Yen Teng. In November of the same year, he represented the national team at the World Junior Badminton Championships in Bilbao, Spain, winning second place in the mixed team.
July 2021 Su Weiying and Xie Dingfeng competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s doubles badminton event, and finally took the third place in the men’s doubles bronze medal match, defeating Muhammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 21-14).
In the Men’s Doubles Final of the Tokyo 2022 Badminton World Championships, he and his teammate Xie Dingfeng won the World Championships Men’s Doubles Gold Medal with a two-set victory over the Derra Setiawan/Muhammad Ahsan pairing, 21-19, 21-14, to win Malaysia’s first ever Badminton World Championships title in a single event.
In October 2023, Xie Dingfeng/Su Weiye teamed up to win the Super 750 Men’s Doubles title at the Denmark Open, defeating the Indonesian pair of Fikri/Mawlana in the Men’s Doubles final in straight games.
World Ranking – Men’s Doubles 4, Week 30, 2024
Olympic Points – Men’s Doubles 5, 92264 points
Finals Ranking – Men’s Doubles 7, 46440 points
Equipment Used
ASTROX 88D PRO; VBS-66 NANO; 75TH 65Z2; JETSPEED S 10 Fluorescent Rose; ASTROX 88D PRO new colors; AURASPEED 90K; NANOFLARE 800 PRO; BG-65Ti; S82; SHB65Z3MEX
Major Achievements
Members of the 2024 Thomas Cup Men’s Team Third Place Finishers
Thomas Cup Men’s Team 3rd Runner-up 2024
2024 Asian Badminton Championships Men’s Doubles Quarter-finalists
2024 All England Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Runner-up
2024 Badminton Asia Championships Men’s Team Runner-up
2024 India Open Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2023 Denmark Open Men’s Doubles Champion
2022 Asian Games Badminton Men’s Doubles Bronze Medalist
2023 China Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Runner-up
2023 World Badminton Championships Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal
2023 Indonesia Open Men’s Doubles Runner-up
2023 Singapore Open Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2023 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Championships Third Place Member
2023 India Open Badminton Men’s Doubles Runner-up
2022 Denmark Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2022 Tokyo Badminton World Championships Men’s Doubles Champion
2022 Commonwealth Games Badminton Men’s Doubles Bronze Medalist
2022 Commonwealth Games Badminton Mixed Team Gold Medal
2022 Malaysia Badminton Masters Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2022 Malaysia Open Badminton Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2022 Indonesia Open Badminton Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2022 Thailand Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2022 Badminton Asia Championships Men’s Doubles Runner-up
2022 Swiss Open Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2022 Badminton Asia Team Championships Men’s Team Champion
2021 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team 3rd Runner-up
2020 Tokyo Olympics Badminton Men’s Doubles 3rd Runner-up
