KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia are assured of at least one men's doubles semi-finalist at the French Open after Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun set up an all-Malaysian quarter-final showdown with Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik on Friday.
World No. 11 Wei Chong-Kai Wun booked their place in the last eight after overcoming Japan's eighth seeds Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi 25-23, 21-14 in 41 minutes at Arena Grand Paris on Thursday.
The Malaysians held their nerve in a closely fought opening game before taking control of the second to secure their second consecutive victory over the former world champions.
Having lost their first two meetings since 2022, Wei Chong-Kai Wun have now levelled their head-to-head record at 2-2, following their victory over Hoki-Kobayashi at last year's Malaysia Masters.
Their reward is a meeting with teammates Aaron-Wooi Yik, who advanced without taking to the court after Thailand's Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul withdrew from their second-round encounter.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who finished runners-up at last week's Denmark Open, hold a 5-3 advantage in previous meetings against Wei Chong-Kai Wun.
The former world champions also won their most recent encounter at the All England quarter-finals in March, prevailing 21-16, 20-22, 21-14.
Meanwhile, sixth seeds Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin also reached the quarter-finals after finally getting the better of Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard.
The world No. 5 battled to a 21-6, 14-21, 21-18 victory in 50 minutes, snapping a two-match losing streak against the Danes.
It was their fifth meeting this year alone, with Sze Fei-Izzuddin having suffered defeats in the Malaysia Masters final and China Open second round.
Thursday's victory also levelled their overall head-to-head record at 4-4 and secured a second consecutive French Open quarter-final appearance.
Sze Fei admitted the Danes' strong serving had disrupted their rhythm after a dominant opening game.
"Their service was too good in the second game. That totally disrupted our rhythm," said Sze Fei in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
He also revealed that both players had been dealing with minor injuries before heading to Denmark last week.
"We had some minor injuries before Denmark, so we just tried to enjoy the game and do our best," he said.
However, a much tougher challenge awaits as they face world No. 1 and top seeds Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae of South Korea.
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The Koreans lead their rivalry 4-2 and won their last two meetings, including a 21-16, 21-16 victory in the World Championships quarter-finals in August.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin, however, can draw confidence from having beaten Won Ho-Seung Jae in three games at the Indonesia Open semi-finals in June.
Sze Fei was also pleased to see three Malaysian men's doubles pairs reach the quarter-finals.
"It's a good sign for Malaysian badminton. I think we're on the right track," he said.
The Koreans advanced after ending the campaign of Arctic Open champions Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King, winning 21-14, 21-16 in 33 minutes.
Despite the defeat, the newly formed Malaysian combination can take encouragement from their promising start on the European swing, having secured their breakthrough in Finland earlier this month.
Meanwhile Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are chasing successive World Tour titles for the first time, but the effects of a demanding tournament schedule are beginning to take their toll.
The world No. 4 kept their hopes alive after overcoming younger compatriots Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting 21-14, 22-20 in 46 minutes to reach the French Open quarter-finals on Thursday.
Pearly-Thinaah, the Denmark Open winners last week, were made to work harder in the second game before sealing victory at Arena Grand Paris.
However, Pearly admitted that they were far from their physical best after a busy schedule that included the China Masters and Asian Games last month, followed by back-to-back tournaments in Europe.
"I don't think physically we are very good. It's very obvious in the match, but we just keep reminding each other, believing in each other and trying to support each other," said Pearly in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Although Pearly-Thinaah won three World Tour titles last year, at the Thailand Open, Arctic Open and Kumamoto Masters, they have never won titles at consecutive tournaments.
Their Denmark Open success, which ended an eight-month wait for another title, has given them an opportunity to achieve that milestone.
Standing in their way in Friday's quarter-finals are Bulgaria's eighth seeds Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva.
The Malaysians hold a 4-1 head-to-head advantage over the world No. 9 Bulgarian sisters, having won their most recent encounter 21-15, 21-10 in the quarter-finals of last year's World Championships, also held in Paris.
Thinaah expects another physically demanding encounter, particularly with the slower shuttle conditions at the venue.
"We have to be really patient because they are physically very good and powerful," said Thinaah.
"With the slow conditions, we just have to prepare ourselves physically and mentally."
Pearly-Thinaah, who captured their breakthrough Super 750 title at the French Open in 2022, have yet to drop a game in Paris this week.
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