Malaysia’s top badminton pair, Aaron Chia/ Soh Wooi Yik, advanced to the quarter-finals of the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 after overcoming tough second-round battles in Ningbo, China, on Thursday.
The victories kept Malaysia’s hopes alive in one of Asia’s most prestigious badminton tournaments held at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center.
Defending men’s doubles champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik delivered a composed performance to defeat China’s Hu Ke Yuan and Lin Xiang Yi in straight games 22–20, 21–19.
The tightly contested match saw the world No.2 Malaysian pair maintain their composure in crucial moments, sealing their first-ever victory over the world No.37 Chinese duo.
Aaron–Soh will now face South Korea’s Kang Min-Hyuk and Ki Dong-Ju in the quarter-finals, marking the first meeting between the two pairs with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s women’s doubles stars Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan endured a grueling contest before overcoming Taiwan’s Hsu Yin Hui and Lin Jhih Yun 21–19, 19–21, 24–22 in a match that lasted more than an hour.
The victory marked the third consecutive win for Pearly–Thinaah against the Taiwanese pair, following earlier triumphs at the French Open 2025 and Japan Masters 2025.
In the quarter-finals, the Malaysian duo will face a stern challenge from China’s Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min, who booked their place after defeating Japan’s Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara 21–14, 21–10.
However, Malaysia’s women’s doubles pair Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting were unable to progress after falling to Japan’s world No.7 combination Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 18–21, 14–21.
With both Aaron–Soh and Pearly–Thinaah still in contention, Malaysia will continue to have strong representation in the latter stages of the tournament.
Credit Photo : Badminton Asia
