PETALING JAYA: National men’s doubles pair Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing pulled off a major upset at the Japan Open today by defeating one of China’s top pairs in the opening round.
The 22nd-ranked Malaysians battled for an hour to overcome world No 8 pair Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi 11-21, 26-24, 21-15 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Aaron-Khai Xing showed tremendous resilience, saving two match points in the second game before forcing a decider and completing a memorable comeback victory.
The Malaysian duo will meet Taiwan’s Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan in Thursday’s second round.
Aaron-Khai Xing join world No 1 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao as the only Malaysians to progress past the opening round today.
