Malaysia will have two pairs in the women's doubles semi-finals at the Taiwan Open after teenage duo Low Zi Yu and Nuraqilah Maisarah Ramdan continued their impressive run with another giant-killing performance on Friday.
The world No. 67 pair stunned Taiwan's world No. 11 duo and third seeds Hsu Yin Hui and Lin Jhih Yun 20-22, 21-13, 21-11 to book a place in the last four. The victory came in just their fourth BWF World Tour tournament together and further highlighted their rapid rise on the international stage.
The breakthrough pair have already enjoyed an impressive season, reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Super 500 and finishing runners-up at the Baoji China Masters Super 100. Along the way, they have claimed notable wins over several higher-ranked opponents, including Japan's world No. 8 pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi at the Uber Cup Finals, as well as Taiwan's world No. 10 pair Hsieh Pei Shan and Hung En Tzu at the Australian Open.
Their reward is a semi-final clash against Thailand's world No. 36 pair Hathaithip Mijad and Napapakorn Tungkasatan, with a place in the final at stake.
Joining them in the semi-finals are Malaysia's top seeds Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, who recovered from a slow start to defeat Taiwan's Chen Yan Fei and Sun Liang Ching 11-21, 21-12, 21-15.
The world No. 5 pair will next face another Taiwanese combination, Lin Chih Chun and Yang Chu Yun, as they continue their preparations ahead of the BWF World Championships.
In the men's doubles, Aaron Chia and Aaron Tai kept Malaysia's hopes alive after easing past Taiwan's Lai Po Yu and Tsai Fu Cheng 21-16, 21-13 to advance to the semi-finals. The newly formed partnership is now the country's sole remaining representative in the event after the earlier exits of the other Malaysian pairs.
Meanwhile, Eogene Ewe's campaign in the men's singles ended despite a spirited display against top seed Chou Tien Chen. The 21-year-old Malaysian pushed the experienced Taiwanese star before going down 21-17, 21-20, delivering another encouraging performance that underlined his growing potential on the international circuit.
