TAN MING WAI
KUALA LUMPUR: Boys' pair Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai are on course to winning their first senior title after powering into the semi-finals of the Thailand International Challenge on Friday.
They stunned seventh seeds Koya Iwano-Yoshinori Takeuchi of Japan 21-15, 21-16 in the quarter-final at the Termanal 21 Hall Korat.
Professionals Lwi Sheng Hao-Jimmy Wong made it two Malaysian pairs in the last four, claiming a hard-fought 21-14, 18-21, 21-16 win to edge closer to their maiden title too.
Another independent pair, Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub, had their good run halted, losing 21-16, 21-17 to Taiwan's Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Liu Kuang Heng.
The limelight was certainly hogged by the promising duo of Khai Xing-Aaron, whose fine performance this week shows that they have the game to play at the senior level.
Khai Xing-Aaron's previous best outing in a senior tournament was reaching the semi-finals of the Sri Lanka International Challenge and they will be out to surpass that when they face Hsiang Chieh-Kuang Heng.
Khai Xing-Aaron have been going great guns since last month as they had won the Dutch Junior International and came in runners-up at the German Junior Open.
These two events are regarded as the two marquee tournaments of the world junior circuit.
Sheng Hao-Jimmy, the last year's Austrian Open runners-up, will face Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul of Thailand with a chance of an all-Malaysian final on the cards.
In the women's doubles, national pair Ho Lo Ee-Tan Zhing Yi put up a good fight before going down 17-21, 21-10, 21-10 to top seeds Laksika Kanlaha-Phataimas Muenwong of Thailand.