KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Rising national men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Tai has caught the attention of the former women’s singles world champions from India, PV Sindhu, following his impressive display at the Singapore Open 2026.

Sindhu, who is also a Rio 2016 Olympic Games silver medallist, described Aaron as a ‘very, very interesting player’ after the 19-year-old shuttler and partner Kang Khai Xing stunned world No. 7 Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani from Indonesia 21-19, 21-17, in the second round on Thursday.

“Aaron Tai is a very, very interesting player. I’ve been tracking him since his junior days, and he was always known for bringing some really fun strokes onto the court,” Sindhu wrote on X.

The current world No. 11 also said that several of her sparring partners in Bangalore had previously faced Aaron on the junior circuit and spoke highly of the Malaysian.

Such encouragement from Sindhu would surely give Aaron a boost as he and Khai Xing are set to face India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the quarter-finals today.

Satwiksairaj-Chirag booked their spot in the last eight after ousting Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-Hui and Yang Po-Hsuan 21-15, 11-21, 21-18.

Khai Xing and Aaron had previously upset Satwiksairaj-Chirag, winning 23-21, 21-12 in their first-ever meeting in the opening round of the All England 2026 in Birmingham last March.

Aaron, who has been steadily making a name for himself alongside Khai Xing, has emerged as one of Malaysia’s brightest young doubles prospects following a string of encouraging performances on the international stage.

Their notable achievements include being crowned boys’ doubles champions at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Nanchang, China.

The world No. 27 duo also bagged three titles last year, namely the Malaysia Super 100, Syed Modi International and Guwahati Masters. — Bernama