KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Bernama) — National men's doubles Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai created a sensation when they took only 42 minutes to eliminate world’s fourth-ranked duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty of India in the first round of the 2026 All England Championships, today.
In the action at the Utilita Arena Birmingham, the opening set was intense when both pairs traded points before Khai Xing-Aaron's composure at the crucial moment allowed them to take control of the first set 23-21.
The 2024 world junior champions, who are currently ranked 33rd in the world, then stepped up their tempo in the second set to end the challenge of Satwiksairaj-Chirag with a more comfortable 21-12 victory to secure a straight set victory.
Khai Xing-Aaron, who are making their debut in the prestigious tournament, will next face either the Chinese pair, Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi or Zhi Wei He-Huang Jui Hsuan of Taiwan in the fight for a slot in the quarterfinals.
National professional mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie also progressed after defeating England’s Callum Hemming-Estelle Van Leeuwen 21-14, 21-12 and will face tournament second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin of China for a place in the quarter-finals.
Soon Huat-Shevon have managed just one win in 10 encounters against the Chinese pair, which came at the 2024 China Open.
Meanwhile, Malaysian men’s doubles pair Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong crashed out after losing to Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi Lin 18-21, 14-21 in their third meeting.
-- BERNAMA
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
