KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — National men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik advanced to the second round of the Malaysia Open 2026 after defeating the United States’ Chen Zhi Yi-Presley Smith 21-11, 21-19 at the Axiata Arena here, today.
Soh said he hoped the victory would serve as a positive start and that they would regroup to discuss improvements ahead of their next match.
“I think both possibilities (facing either a Chinese or Taiwanese pair) will not be easy for us because this is a new beginning and a new year as well.
“Usually, we need to adapt quickly. I hope today is a positive start and we will try to discuss again what can be done on this court because every situation is different,” he told reporters here today.
The tournament’s second seeds will next face either China’s Chen Xu Jun-Liu Yang or Taiwan’s Liu Kuang Heng-Yang Po Han.
Meanwhile, another national men’s doubles pair, Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King, also booked their place in the second round after overcoming the pairing of South Korean Choi Sol Gyu and Malaysian Goh V Shem 22-20, 21-12.
“Alhamdulillah, we managed to get revenge against our opponents because the last time we played them in Australia, we lost in straight sets.
“We were leading then but lost focus. Today we managed to win, so we’re happy. Getting our revenge and advancing to the second round is a bonus for us,” Wan Arif said.
Wan Arif-Roy King will next take on India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. — Bernama
