PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King gave Malaysia reason to cheer after becoming the first home representatives to reach the semi-finals of the Malaysian Masters on Friday (May 22).
In the quarter-finals at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil, the fifth seeds produced a solid performance to beat US pair Chen Zhi Yi-Presley Smith 21-15, 21-19 in 33 minutes.
It was their third win over the Americans, having also beaten them in the second round of the Orleans Masters last year and the first round of the China Open in 2024.
The result also marked Arif-Roy King’s first semi-final appearance of the season.
"We’ve never made it (this far) this year and it's almost halfway through," said Arif.
"So this will help us to rebuild our confidence."
Arif-Roy King will next face either Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard or Japan’s former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi in the semi-finals.
