Despite struggling with a series of unforced errors, Malaysia’s independent men’s doubles duo Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong fought back impressively to keep their Macau Open 2025 campaign alive. Their gritty performance on Thursday secured them a place in the quarter-finals, where they will face fellow Malaysians Wan Arif Junaidi and Yap Roy King in a much-anticipated all-Malaysian showdown.
Ranked World No. 23, Azriyn and Wee Kiong were pushed to the edge in their Round of 16 encounter against Indonesia’s World No. 136 pair Putra Erwiansyah and Daniel Marvino. The Malaysians began strongly, taking the first game 21-14, but then faltered in the second with a string of errors, losing 15-21. Fortunately, they regained composure in the decider, holding their nerve to seal a 21-17 victory in a tightly contested 53-minute match.
Speaking after the game, the 35-year-old Wee Kiong acknowledged their inconsistent performance. “We definitely made things harder for ourselves today with those unforced errors. Tomorrow, against Arif and Roy King, we must stay focused and play with better control,” he said. “It’s crucial that we regain our rhythm before stepping on court again.”
Their quarter-final opponents, Wan Arif Junaidi and Yap Roy King, currently ranked World No. 24, are riding high on momentum. Just earlier this week, they received a late but welcome invitation from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to participate in the upcoming World Championships. Carrying that motivation into Macau, they dispatched India’s World No. 35 pair Pruthvi Roy and Sai Prateek with a confident 21-18, 21-18 win to book their quarter-final berth.
Azriyn-Wee Kiong Building Momentum After Japan and China Performances
The experienced pair of Azriyn-Wee Kiong had shown promising form heading into the Macau Open. Just two weeks ago, they reached the quarter-finals of the Japan Open Super 750, their best finish at that level, before narrowly losing to fellow Malaysians and World No. 7 duo Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun. They were then eliminated in the second round of last week’s China Open, but their fighting spirit in Macau shows they are eager to return to their top form.
Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri Achieve Breakthrough
Elsewhere in the men’s doubles draw, Choong Hon Jian and Haikal Nazri delivered a milestone performance by advancing to their first-ever quarter-final. Despite past injury setbacks, the World No. 52 pair overcame Japan’s World No. 90 duo Tori Aizawa and Daisuke Sano with a 21-14, 21-19 straight-sets win.
Hon Jian and Haikal now face a formidable challenge in the last eight, where they will take on either India’s World No. 9 duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, or Japan’s World No. 89 pair Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi.
V Shem-Sol Gyu Impress with Strong Performance
Former Olympic silver medallist Goh V Shem, now competing with South Korea’s Cho Sol Gyu, also progressed to the quarter-finals. The pair, currently ranked World No. 148, displayed superb coordination and composure to defeat Indonesia’s 50th-ranked team Rahmat Hidayat and Yeremia Rambitan 21-18, 21-18.
Thіѕ vісtоrу ѕеtѕ uр a tоugh ԛuаrtеr-fіnаl аgаіnѕt Indonesia’s elite pair, Sаbаr Karyaman аnd Mоh Reza Isfahani, who аrе rаnkеd Wоrld Nо. 8.
Chia Weijie-Lwi Sheng Hao Exit Early
However, it wasn’t all positive news for Malaysia. Independent duo Chia Weijie and Lwi Sheng Hao, ranked World No. 69, saw their Macau Open run come to an end in the second round. Despite a promising start, they succumbed 15-21, 21-13, 21-18 to Hong Kong’s World No. 106 pair Hung Kuey Chun and Lui Chun Wai.
Malaysian Women’s Doubles Campaign Ends
In the women’s doubles discipline, Malaysia’s challenge ended in the second round. Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing, the country’s top pair at World No. 18, fell in a hard-fought three-game match against Taiwan’s World No. 135 pair Lin Chih Chun and Lin Wan Ching, losing 21-15, 22-24, 21-15.
Meanwhile, Cheng Su Hui and Tan Zhing Yi, ranked World No. 224, could not pull off an upset against Taiwan’s World No. 12 pair Hsieh Pеі Shаn аnd Hung En Tzu, lоѕіng 21-17, 21-17 іn ѕtrаіght games.
Goh Jin Wei Puts Up Brave Fight in Women’s Singles
In the women’s singles category, Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei, ranked World No. 47, gave a spirited performance against China’s World No. 5 and Olympic gold medalist Chen Yu Fei. Goh took the second game impressively but eventually fell 14-21, 21-9, 21-18 after an intense three-game battle in the second round.
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