Malaysia’s rising men’s doubles pair Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing are set for another huge test today as they prepare to face India’s world No. 4 combination Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the Singapore Open quarter-finals. The world No. 27 duo continued their impressive campaign by pulling off a straight-games upset over Indonesia’s world No. 7 pair Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza in the second round yesterday, winning 21-19, 21-17.
Key Highlights
- Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing upset world No. 7 Indonesians Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza in straight games.
- The Malaysian pair will next face India’s world No. 4 duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty.
- Aaron-Khai Xing previously defeated the Indian pair at the All-England in March.
- The duo credited consistency, communication, and adaptability for their strong run in Singapore.
Another shot at a top pair
The victory marked Aaron-Khai Xing’s second triumph over a top-10 pair this year, having previously stunned Satwiksairaj-Chirag during the opening round of the All-England in March.
The reigning world junior champions now have the opportunity to repeat that feat in Singapore after the Indian duo secured their quarter-final spot with a win over Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan. Their success against Sabar-Moh also carried extra meaning, as it avenged the defeat they suffered against the Indonesians at last year’s Macau Open.
Consistency proving key
Aaron said their solid performances in Singapore have been built on maintaining consistency and strong communication throughout matches.
“The key was our consistency in our game and communication on court. I believe that if we can be more consistent, we would go even further,” he said.
Aaron also shared that the windy conditions at the venue have not affected their game, with the pair instead adapting quickly and turning the situation into an advantage. “I feel that we have an advantage in our ability to adapt quite fast to the conditions,” he said.
Training efforts paying off
Meanwhile, Khai Xing was pleased to see the hard work from training sessions translating into positive results on court. “We are happy with our performance so far because what we have been training for is showing results. We are consistent but need to keep working on it,” he said.
