No sweat for world champion duo as Chia, Soh advance at Denmark Open

Malaysia's reigning world champions Aaron Chia (right) and Soh Wooi Yik in action at the Denmark Open.
Malaysia's reigning world champions Aaron Chia (right) and Soh Wooi Yik in action at the Denmark Open. (PHOTO: Shi Tang/Getty Images)

WORLD champion men's doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik continued their smooth progress at the Denmark Open on Thursday (20 October), when they reached the quarter-finals by beating French duo Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar 21-13, 21-18 in 31 minutes.

The Malaysian duo - who ended Malaysia's long wait for world champions at the Badminton World Championships in Tokyo in August - trailed for only two points in their last-16 matchup at the Jyske Bank Arena in Odense.

They will next meet India's Stawiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the reigning Commonwealth Games men's doubles gold medallists.

Malaysia's top men's shuttler Lee Zii Jia also advanced, the world No.3 taking 36 minutes to defeat Japan's world No.15 Kanta Tsuneyama 21-5, 21-19.

Lee will have a tricky assignment in the quarter-finals, as he faces Indonesia's world No.7 Jonatan Christie, who defeated Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu 17-21, 21-9, 21-19 after 67 minutes.

There was also good news for veteran mixed doubles duo Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai, who defeated compatriots Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing 18-21, 24-22, 22-20 after a titanic 74-minute battle.

They will next face second-seeded Japanese pair Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino.

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