NEW DELHI, Jan 20 — Two Malaysian doubles pairs — Aaron Chia - Soh Wooi Yik, and Pearly Tan - M. Thinaah — cruised into the 2023 India Open men's and women’s semi-finals respectively here today.
Aaron-Wooi Yik beat compatriots Ong Yew Sin - Teo Ee Yi 21 - 17, 21 - 11 in a 31-minute quarter-final clash at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Hall.
The pair were thrilled to have checked into the last four.
“We played our game today. We led from the start and I think we performed quite well,” Aaron told Bernama.
The world number three pair will face either Malaysia Open champions Fajar Alfian - Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia or Germans Mark Lamsfuss - Germarvin Seidel for a place in the final.
[caption id="attachment_275687" align="aligncenter" width="781"]
National badminton players and women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan (left) and M. Thinaah in action during their match against Chinese players Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu, at the 2022 Malaysia Open Badminton Championships in Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on June 30, 2022. — Picture by BERNAMA[/caption]
Meanwhile, women’s doubles pair Pearly - Thinaah also had no problem downing Japan’s Rin Iwanaga - Kie Nakanishi 21 - 13, 21 - 13.
Pearly said: “They (the Japanese pair) are good players. It was not easy to score points against them.”
Looking ahead to their semi-final clash, Thinaah said: “We do not want (to put) any pressure (on ourselves). We just want to play better than today’s match.”
In tomorrow’s semi-finals, the world number eight Malaysians will take on either Thailand’s Benyapa Aimsaard - Nuntakarn Aimsaard or Japan’s Nami Matsuyama - Chiharu Shida.
— Bernama
