Both mixed doubles pairs exit at quarter-final stage

KUALA LUMPUR: The country's interest in the mixed doubles competition at the BWF World Badminton Championships in Tokyo, Japan ended at the quarterfinal stage when both pairs were defeated by opponents from Japan and China.

Professional mixed doubles outfit Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing lost to China's top seeded pair Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong 9-21, 9-21 while Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai were beaten by home favourites Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino 21-17, 21-13 in straight sets at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

The country's hopes will now rest on the shoulders of men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, the sixth seeds in the competition, who take on India's seventh seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the semifinals tomorrow.

This morning, Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik, bronze medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, defeated South Korea's Choi Sol Gyu-Seo Seung Jae, 21-18, 21-16 in the quarterfinals and moved into the semifinals.

-- BERNAMA