May 22, 2026
World
World
MECCA, May 22 — More than one million Muslims are converging on Mecca for the haj pilgrimage, as regional tensions in the Middle East and a fragile ceasefire cast a shadow over the event.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — Malaysia’s men’s doubles remain the nation’s strongest challenge at the Malaysia Masters 2026, with three pairs advancing to the quarter-finals today.
Leading the charge were top seeds and national No. 1 duo Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik, who produced another dominant performance to dispatch France’s Julien Maio–William Villeger 21-12, 21-10 in just 30 minutes during their second-round clash at the Unifi Arena, Bukit Jalil yesterday.
The 2022 world champions will next meet China’s Hu Ke Yuan–Lin Xiang Yi for a place in the semi-finals, after the unseeded pair defeated India’s Hariharan Amsakarunan–M.R. Arjun 21-14, 21-15.
Soh credited their improved performance to better adaptation to the playing conditions compared to their opening-round win over Singapore’s Wesley Koh–Kubo Junsuke, which they took 19-21, 21-10, 21-12.
“We have adapted to the shuttle and we played much better with fewer errors today,” he said after the match.
Aaron, meanwhile, cautioned against complacency, noting that they would not underestimate their next opponents despite having previously beaten Hu Ke Yuan–Lin Xiang Yi at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo last April.
Professional pair and third seeds Goh Sze Fei–Nur Izzuddin Rumsani also advanced comfortably, defeating compatriots Chia Weijie–Teo Ee Yi 21-14, 21-12 in 29 minutes.
Despite the convincing win, Sze Fei said there was still room for improvement ahead of their quarter-final against either Japan’s eighth seeds Kakeru Kumagai–Hiroki Nishi or Taiwan’s Chen Zhi Ray–Lin Yu Chieh.
Fifth seeds Wan Arif Wan Junaidi–Yap Roy King also progressed after edging fellow Malaysians Kang Khai Xing–Aaron Tai 21-12, 22-20, setting up a last-eight clash with American pair Chen Zhi Yi–Presley Smith.
The Americans, however, denied an all-Malaysian quarter-final after defeating professional duo Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub–Tan Wee Kiong 21-14, 21-18 in the second round.
The Super 500 tournament runs until May 24, offering a total prize purse of US$500,000 (RM1.98 million). — Bernama
