NATIONAL top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik missed out on the Arctic Open 2025 title after being stunned by England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy in the final at Vantaa, Finland.
The Malaysian pair had a rough start during the Super 500 tournament final at the Vantaan Energia arena with several unforced errors and wayward shots proving costly.
Aaron-Wooi Yik fell in the first game 18-21 after struggling to find their rhythm against the determined English duo.
After leading 15-11 in the second game, the top seeds nearly let their advantage slip as the unseeded pair clawed back to 21-21.
The Malaysians held firm under pressure to seal the second game 27-25 and force a deciding third game.
Holding an 11-10 lead in the decider, the two-time Olympic bronze medallists faltered at a crucial moment.
The English pair turned the tide at 16-15 before sealing their maiden title this year with a 21-17 victory.
The match lasted one hour and 16 minutes in a hard-fought contest between the two pairs.
This was Lane-Vendy’s fourth win in ten meetings against the 2022 world champions.
As winners, Lane-Vendy walked away with prize money worth 37,525 US dollars approximately 159,000 Malaysian ringgit.
Aaron-Wooi Yik received 18,050 US dollars about 76,000 Malaysian ringgit as runners-up.
Malaysia still had reason to smile as the national number one women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah delivered a commanding performance.
Pearly-Thinaah crushed Japan’s Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi 21-7, 21-9 in just 32 minutes.
The victory secured their second title of the year after winning the Thailand Open in May. – Bernama
