EXCEPT for India which qualifies for the men’s singles final through 32-year-old veteran Srikanth Kidambi, the remaining four matches at the Perodua Malaysia Masters 2025 today (May 25) entail an all-China and all-Malaysian affair.
Kidambi who was the former World No. 1 will meet China’s Li Shifeng who was a gold medallist in the men’s singles at the 2022 Asian Games.
Unseeded Kidambi had a 49-minute semi-final encounter yesterday (May 24) against Japan’s Yushi Tanaka before prevailing in straight games 21-18 and 24-22 while second seeded Li ousted fourth seeded Kodai Naraoka 21-15, 21-15 in 48 minutes.
Host nation Malaysia has its fair share of the spoils after top men’s national doubles pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik and upcoming Tee Kai Wun and Man Wei Chong brushed aside their Danish and Japanese opponents respectively en route to today’s all-Malaysian final.
The fourth seeded Chia-Soh who won the Thai Open 2025 last week had to come back from a game down before emerging triumphant against first seeded Danish veteran pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 19-21, 21-17, 21-15 in 64 minutes.
On the contrary, fifth seeded Tee-Man had a tame encounter against Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi whereby they dumped the Japanese pair 21-12, 21-14 in 31 minutes.
While Chia-Soh could not contain their joy after helping to end the host nation’s 12-year wait for a home winner in the men’s doubles in the Malaysian Masters, top national women’s doubles pair of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan failed to get pass the seventh seeded Chinese pair of Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian.
The third seeded Malaysian pair who also bagged the women’s doubles title at the Thai Open 2025 last week put up a fight before succumbing to a 16-21, 21-15, 14-21 defeat in 75 minutes.
Both Jia and Zhang will now play against their first seeded and World No. 1 compatriots Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in today’s all-China women’s doubles final.
Elsewhere, the women’s singles final will feature an all-China first and second seeded Wang Zhi Yi and Han Yue respectively while the mixed doubles final will showcase an all-China first and second seeded pairs of Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin pitted against Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping respectively.
Main image credit: BadminonPlanet.com
