Aaron-Soh End 12-Year Wait, Power Malaysia into Historic Final

Malaysia’s long wait for a men’s doubles finalist at the PETRONAS Malaysia Open is finally over. World No.2 pair Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik rose to the occasion in front of a packed Axiata Arena, storming into the men’s doubles final to end a 12-year drought and put Malaysia one win away from a historic home triumph.

The world No. 2 pair delivered a composed yet aggressive performance to defeat Indonesia’s world No. 6 and former champions, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, 23-21, 21-18 in an intense semifinal that lasted 50 minutes. The victory follows their quarterfinal win over another Indonesian pairing and confirms Malaysia’s strongest men’s doubles showing at the tournament since Goh V Shem–Lim Khim Wah lifted the title in 2014.

Aaron/Soh will now contest Saturday’s final against reigning world champions and world No.1 Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae of Korea, in what promises to be a blockbuster clash between the top two pairs in the world. The head-to-head between the two pairs stands level at 1–1.

Earlier, Kim/Seo had to dig deep to stay on course for a second consecutive Malaysia Open title, recovering from a game down to outlast England’s Ben Lane–Sean Vendy 8-21, 21-11, 21-18 in a 58-minute thriller.

Against Fajar/Shohibul, Aaron/Soh showed maturity and tactical clarity under pressure. Both games followed a similar pattern, with the Indonesians leading 11-9 at the interval. The Malaysians responded with improved defensive solidity, sharper placement and greater patience in long rallies, clawing back to level at 17-17 and 20-20 in the opening game before sealing it 23-21.

In the second game, after briefly trailing 12-16, Aaron/Soh reeled off crucial points to regain control and closed out the contest 21-18 amid deafening home support.

The final also marks Malaysia’s first finalist appearance at the Malaysia Open in eight years, since Lee Chong Wei’s triumph in 2018, giving Aaron/Soh a shot at their first Super 1000 title having previously reached six finals at this level without lifting the trophy.

In men’s singles, the spotlight is on a clash between reigning and former world champions. Shi Yu Qi produced another clinical display to defeat Denmark’s Anders Antonsen 21-13, 21-14, while Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn overcame Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21-16, 21-16 to reach his first Malaysia Open final, hoping  to become the tournament’s first Thai champion.

Women’s singles top seed An Se Young advanced to the final via walkover after Chen Yu Fei withdrew due to injury. The Korean ace will meet China’s Wang Zhi Yi, who earned her finals spot with a 21-16, 21-15 win over India’s Pusarla. V. Sindhu. Se Young holds a commanding 16–4 head-to-head advantage.

The women’s doubles final will feature Korea’s Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee against China’s world No.1 pair Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning, while mixed doubles will see an all-China showdown between Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping and Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin.

Finals Line-Up (11 Jan)

Men’s Singles

Shi Yu Qi (CHN) vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA)

Women’s Singles

An Se Young (KOR) vs Wang Zhi Yi (CHN)

Men’s Doubles

Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (MAS) vs Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae (KOR)

Women’s Doubles

Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (CHN) vs Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee

Mixed Doubles

Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (CHN) vs Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin (CHN)

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