
Pei Kee-Mei Xing stun world No. 8 to reach first Super 1000 quarter-final
Pei Kee-Mei Xing battled to a hard-fought 26-24, 7-21, 21-18 win in the second round - their biggest scalp to date to qualify for their first-ever Super 1000 quarter-final.
Malaysia will now have two pairs in the women's doubles last eight, with world No. 3 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah also progressing earlier in the day.
Pei Kee-Mei Xing will face China's world No. 7 Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian for a place in the semi-finals on Friday.

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The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Bigger gain after pain
Tough battle: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in action against Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri during the China Open men's doubles final in Changzhou yesterday. — AFP PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have vowed to make amends after missing out on the China Open title by going all out to capture gold in the World Championships. Aaron-Wooi Yik were hoping to win their first World Tour Super 1000 title but were denied by Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, losing 15-21, 14-21 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou yesterday. While it was a disappointing end after a good run in the tourney, the world No. 2 pair are keen to use the pain to drive them to the world title in Paris from Aug 25-31. Aaron-Wooi Yik created history by becoming the first Malaysian shuttlers to win gold in the 2022 edition in Tokyo before claiming bronze in 2023 and are now eyeing a third medal in Paris. 'Our goal is the gold medal in the world meet. We hope to keep improving and grab it,' Aaron told the Badminton World Federation (BWF). 'Next we need to recover and prepare well for the tournament.' Wooi Yik said: 'We still have almost a month to prepare and we want to keep our rhythm until Paris. 'We know there will be high expectations on us but we just want to stay calm because we believe the past is past. Our recent game play is different, so we just believe in each other and the coach's training. We don't expect too much but we still believe we can make it.' One pair who will not be in Aaron-Wooi Yik's way in the world meet are Fajar-Shohibul as the Indonesians have only recently formed a temporary partnership. Fajar has instead qualified for the prestigious tourney with former partner Rian Ardianto. In Changzhou, Aaron-Wooi Yik could not raise their game against Fajar-Shohibul and went down in just 35 minutes to the pumped up Indonesians in a fast-paced match. It was Aaron-Wooi Yik's second defeat in the China Open final after they finished runners-up to home favourites Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the 2023 edition. Aaron admitted that he and Wooi Yik found it harder to play against scratch pairings. 'All their shots were high quality and we couldn't handle them,' said Aaron. 'We always need some time to analyse scratch pairings and adapt against them. We had a game plan against them but they played very well.' Despite missing out on the crown again, Aaron-Wooi Yik are feeling positive about their performance ahead of the Paris showpiece after turning around their form following first-round exits in their last two outings in the Indonesian and Japan Opens. The duo had also made it into their fifth final of the year after capturing the Asian Championships, Singapore Open, Thailand Open and finishing runners-up to teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the Malaysian Masters.


The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Serving in new capacity
Getting the hang of it: Tan Kian Meng is currently working with mixed doubles pair Callum Hemming and Estelle Van Leeuwen after joining Badminton England as a guest coach. PETALING JAYA: There was a familiar face making waves at the China Open in Changzhou last week as former mixed doubles shuttler Tan Kian Meng took his first steps into the world of coaching. Kian Meng, who retired in March after his final outing at the All-England with partner Lai Pei Jing, had initially planned to focus on product sales and reviews on online platforms. He was hesitant to enter the coaching scene due to the stiff competition and the saturated badminton academy landscape in Malaysia. But an unexpected opportunity came his way when he was invited to join Badminton England as a guest coach. For the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, the offer was a golden opportunity to broaden his horizons and chart a new path following his retirement as a player. 'Actually, I see this as a great opportunity for me to learn. I've been with the England camp since last month after being invited to serve as a guest coach for a month. 'But now I've been assigned to accompany the players to several scheduled tournaments, and I feel this is a valuable experience for me,' said Kian Meng when contacted. Kian Meng is currently working with mixed doubles pair Callum Hemming and Estelle Van Leeuwen, who are set to compete at the Macau Open this week. The duo will take on China's Hong Yili-Huang Kexin in the opening round. Last week in Changzhou, Hemming-Van Leeuwen were knocked out in the first round by Denmark's Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch. Kian Meng is also coaching the world No. 14 men's doubles pair Ben Lane-Sean Vendy. He is expected to remain with the England team until the China Masters in September. Kian Meng is not the first Malaysian to lend his expertise to Badminton England. The national body had previously enlisted former internationals Koo Kien Keat and Datuk Cheah Soon Kit as guest coaches to help develop their players.


The Star
14 hours ago
- The Star
Badminton - Shi, Wang triumph in all-Chinese China Open finals as host dominates home tournament with four titles
China's Shi Yuqi celebrates after defeating compatriot Wang Zhengxing in the men's singles final at the China Open badminton tournament in Changzhou, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on July 27, 2025. -- Photo by AFP BEIJING (Reuters): Shi Yuqi and Wang Zhiyi lifted the men's and women's titles at the China Open on Sunday (July 27), prevailing in the all-Chinese finals to cap a golden week in Changzhou. It was another strong showing for world number three Shi following his Japan Open title last week. The 29-year-old came back from a game down to beat Wang Zhengxing 14-21 21-14 21-15 in little more than an hour. Wang had a narrow 7-5 lead early in the second game, but Shi took over from there, dominating the rallies and never trailing again. It was Shi's third Super 1000 title of the year after winning the Malaysia Open and the All England Open. In the women's final, defending champion Wang Zhiyi secured a dominant 21-8 21-13 win over Han Yue, who had advanced after South Korea's reigning Olympic champion An Se-young retired injured in the semi-finals. The 24-year-old world number two ended a frustrating run of three straight Super 1000 final defeats this year, all to world number one An. It was Wang's second title of the year, adding to her Malaysia Masters win, where she also beat Han in the final. Wang surged to a 13-4 lead in the opener and though Han tried to claw back in the second game, narrowing the gap to 17-13, Wang's sharp movement and relentless aggression helped her close out the match in just over half an hour. China's supremacy on home soil could not be questioned as foreign players fell at the semi-final stage in all formats except for the men's doubles, which was won by Indonesians Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. The pair beat Malaysian second seeded duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi-Yik 21-15 21-14 and performed the viral "aura farming" Indonesian boat race dance in front of the Chinese crowd, much to their delight. It was the first time in a decade that an unseeded men's pair has won the China Open. In women's doubles, top seeds Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning overcame Zhang Shuxian and Jia Yifan 24-22 17-21 21-14. Top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping defeated second-seeded Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin 23-21 21-17 to clinch the mixed doubles title. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge) - Reuters