Kai Wun-Roy King book semis berth at China Masters

Men’s doubles scratch pair Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King advanced to the semi-finals of the World Tour Super 750 China Masters badminton championships after a hard-fought win against a Japanese pair.

The Malaysians, who started playing as a pair only in July, beat 28th ranked Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami 21-13, 19-21, 21-12 in a match lasting 56 minutes in the quarter-final tie at the World Tour Super 750 championships.

Kai Wun-Roy King will face China’s rising pair He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu, who had to dig deep before defeating another Malaysian scratch pair Soh Wooi Yik-Aaron Tai in three games in another last-eight match.

Today’s match marks Kai Wun-Roy King’s second semi-final appearance of the year after they won the Korea Masters title last month.

They are among four new pairs being tested by the Badminton Association of Malaysia to identify the best combinations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Earlier, Wooi Yik-Tai’s giant-killing run ended when they went down fighting to Ji Ting-Xiang Yu 16-21, 21-17, 16-21 in a 63-minute match.

The winners in the doubles categories will receive US$87,500 (RM357,000), while the runners-up will take home US$42,500 (RM173,400). The semi-finalists will receive US$17,500 (RM71,400).