KUALA LUMPUR: The men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King stole the spotlight at the Indonesian Masters, delivering a stunning upset by eliminating legends Hendra Setiawan-Mohammad Ahsan in their final tournament at home before retirement.
Known as the 'Daddies', world champions Hendra-Ahsan had declared that the Indonesian Masters would mark the end of their illustrious career.
However, Arif-Roy King showed no signs of intimidation, dominating the experienced pair with a commanding straight-game victory, 21-13, 21-14, in just 28 minutes at Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Thursday (Jan 23).
Arif-Roy King will take on teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun next in the quarter-finals. The Malaysian pair defeated Taiwan's Lee Fang-chieh-Lee Fang-jen 23-21, 21-13 in another second round match.
Former world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik also breezed into the quarter-finals with a 21-16, 21-16 win over Taiwan’s Lu Ming-che-Tang Kai-wei. They will next take on South Korea’s Kang Min-hyuk-Kim Won-ho.
Malaysia’s mixed doubles squad also enjoyed a flawless day as all pairs reached the quarter-finals.
Husband and wife duo Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, the tournament’s top seeds, lived up to their billing with a commanding performance, defeating Indonesia’s Marwan Faza-Aisyah Salsabila Putri Pranata 21-16, 21-19 in only 29 minutes.
They will next face Japan’s seventh seeds Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito for a place in the semi-finals.
Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei also impressed, overcoming a tough challenge from Indonesia’s Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu to win 24-22, 21-14 in 46 minutes. Their quarter-final opponents are Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran, a pair they defeated at the Indian Open last week.
Completing a perfect outing for the mixed doubles team, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin staged a thrilling comeback against India’s Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto, battling to a 57-minute victory of 18-21, 21-15, 21-19.
Their next challenge will be Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy-Lisa Ayu Kusumawati.
In the women’s doubles, second seeds Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah secured their spot in the last eight with a 21-19, 21-16 victory over Taiwan’s Hu Ling-fang-Jheng Yu-chieh. They will face Japan’s Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles, K. Letshanaa delivered a spirited performance but narrowly lost to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh in a marathon 66-minute match, 18-21, 21-17, 20-22.
