Arctic Open 2026: Tai-King Reach Super 500 Final on Debut

Malaysia’s scratch men’s doubles pair Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King are through to the final of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 Arctic Open. They beat Denmark’s Christian Faust Kjær and Rasmus Kjær 21-14, 21-16 in the semi-finals on Saturday. It is the first Super 500 final of their careers, reached in their first tournament as a pair.

The Danes were no pushovers. They are ranked world No. 32 and had knocked out top seeds Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in the first round. Tai and Yap still won in straight games, as they have in every round this week.

That run has been a series of upsets. They opened by beating their world No. 24 compatriots Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong, then beat seventh seeds Lee Fang Chih and Lee Fang Jen, the world No. 21 Taiwanese brothers, 21-19, 21-11. In the quarter-finals they saw off top Thai duo Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul 21-13, 21-19 in 38 minutes.

The partnership was a late experiment. Tai is just 18, and national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi split him from Kang Khai Xing, his 2024 world junior title-winning partner, to test him with different senior players.

The results were encouraging: he was runner-up at the Taiwan Open with Aaron Chia, then played the China Masters with Soh Wooi Yik. Yap brings a title of his own, having won the Korea Masters earlier this year with Tee Kai Wun, beating Man Wei Chong and Soh Wooi Yik in an all-Malaysian final.

The run also carries Malaysia’s men’s doubles hopes in Finland. Most of the country’s men’s doubles pairs withdrew from the tournament, and Chia Weijie and Teo Ee Yi were eliminated, leaving Tai and Yap as the last Malaysian pair standing.

Credit Photo : Screenshot