PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King got the showdown they were hoping for against their senior teammates Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the third round of the World Championships on Thursday (28 Aug).
Said Roy King: “I don’t mind whether we win in straight games or go into a rubber, as long as we win. That’s the most important thing. We are getting more confident with each game,” said Roy King after their second-round win on Wednesday (Aug 27).
They had upstaged world No. 12 Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh of Thailand 21-13, 21-17.
Before leaving for Paris, both Malaysian pairs had joked about the prospect of meeting each other, and the younger pair had said they would take down their seniors.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, the former world champion and current world No. 2, had cruised past Scotland’s Christopher Grimley-Matthew Grimley 21-15, 21-16 in the second round.
The last time the two pairs met was in the Thailand Open quarter-finals in May, where Arif-Roy King fell 12-21, 13-21 in just 28 minutes.
While the all-Malaysian clash will be the main highlight, Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s doubles is still very much alive through Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun will take on England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy, while Sze Fei-Izzuddin will face Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan.
