PETALING JAYA: National shuttler Aaron Tai has barely entered his 20s, but he is already getting a taste of what it takes to compete against some of the biggest names in men’s doubles.
The youngster, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Tuesday (Oct 27), has endured a baptism of fire alongside partner Yap Roy King, 25, during their European tour this month.
From former world champions to Olympic gold medallists and the world’s top-ranked pair, Aaron has faced no shortage of formidable opponents in just four tournaments with Roy King.
And on Friday, the Malaysian world No. 74 showed their mettle when they stunned defending champions and fifth seeds Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Wang Chi-lin of Taiwan to reach the Hylo Open semi-finals in Germany.
Aaron-Roy King needed just 30 minutes to dispatch the Taiwanese pair 21-16, 21-17 at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrucken, claiming a notable scalp in Chi-lin, a two-time Olympic gold medallist.
Aaron-Roy King had previously upstaged Indonesian top seeds Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza in the second round.
These wins are a great indication of the young partnership’s potential, having already tested themselves against some of the sport’s finest players in recent weeks.
At the Denmark Open two weeks ago, Aaron-Roy King crossed paths with former world champions and national teammates Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the second round, but fell short.
A week later, they found themselves against South Korea’s world No. 1 pair Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae at the French Open, where they again bowed out in the second round.
Although both encounters ended in defeat, the experience of going toe-to-toe with such accomplished opponents so early in their partnership should prove invaluable as they continue to develop.
With men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi having decided to make their partnership a permanent fixture in the national set-up, it will be hard to dim the lights on them.
Aaron-Roy King will now take on Denmark’s Christian Faust Kjaer-Rasmus Kjaer for a place in the Hylo Open final.
They go in with an advantage, having defeated the Danish pair en route to claiming their maiden title together at the Arctic Open earlier this month.
Meanwhile, unseeded mixed doubles duo Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing continued their impressive run by advancing to a third consecutive semi-final in as many weeks.
The world No. 24 pair upset fifth seeds Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau of Hong Kong 21-17, 21-17.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing will next face France’s reigning world champions Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue for a place in the final.
Should they overcome the French pair, they will meet either Indonesia’s Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina or Denmark’s Jesper Toft-Amalie Cecilie in the title decider.
Having finished runners-up at both the China Masters and French Open, Pang Ron-Pei Jing will be hoping to go one better and secure their first title together.
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Toma Junior Popov (Fra) bt Arnaud Merkle (Fra) 21-14, 21-15; Jonatan Christie (Ina) bt Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) 21-8, 18-21, 21-11; Anders Antonsen (Den) bt Ditlev Jaegar Holm (Den) 21-11, 21-13; Lakshya Sen (Ind) bt Kalle Koljonen (Fin) 14-21, 21-17, 21-13.
Men’s doubles: Julien Maio-William Villeger (Fra) bt Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard (Den) 25-23, 21-14; Ben Lane-Sean Vendy (Eng) bt Chen Chengkuan-Liu Kuangheng (Tpe) 21-18, 21-14; Christian Faust Kjaer-Rasmus Kjaer (Den) bt William Kryger Boe-Rasmus Espersen (Den) 21-13, 21-11; Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King (Mas) bt Chiu Hsiangchieh-Wang Chi-Lin (Tpe) 21-16, 21-17.
Women’s singles: Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) bt Wen Yu Zhang (Can) 21-19, 18-21, 21-17; Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt (Den) bt Kirsty Gilmour (Sco) 21-17, 21-13; P. V. Sindhu (Ind) bt Amalie Schulz (Den) 21-12, 21-10; Anmol Kharb (Ind) bt Unnati Hooda (Ind) 21-17, 18-21, 21-16.
Women’s doubles: Lauren Lam-Allison Quynh Lee (US) bt Febriana Kusuma-Meilysa Puspitasari (Ina) 21-19, 21-10; Hsu Yin-Hui-Lin Jhihyun (Tpe) bt Hsu Yaching-Sung Yu-Hsuan (Tpe) 21-16, 21-14; Amallia Pratiwi-Siti Fadia Ramadhanti (Ina) bt Stine Kuespert-Isabel Lohau (Ger) 21-7, 21-10; Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva (Bul) bt Yeung Nga Ting-Yeung Pui Lam (Hkg) 21-18, 21-13.
Mixed doubles: Amri Syahnawi-Nita Marwah (Ina) bt Ruben Garcia-Lucia Rodriguez (Spa) 16-21, 21-14, 21-19; Jesper Toft-Amalie Kudsk (Den) bt Callum Hemming-Estelle Van Leeuwen (Eng) 14-21, 21-14, 21-7; Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing (Mas) bt Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau (Hkg) 21-17, 21-17; Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue (Fra) bt Marvin Seidel-Nguyen Thuc Phuong (Ger) 21-12, 21-11.
