MALAYSIAN men’s doubles pair Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal Nazri have been eliminated from the Korean Open badminton tournament.
The world number 47 Malaysian combination lost their second-round match at the Suwon Gymnasium in Gyeonggi today.
They were defeated by Japan’s former world champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in straight games.
The match lasted only 36 minutes, with the Malaysians going down 17-21, 11-21.
This defeat marks their third loss to the world number 11 Japanese pair so far this year.
Hon Jian and Haikal had previously lost to Hoki and Kobayashi at both the Malaysia Masters and the Indonesia Open.
The victorious Japanese pair will now face a South Korean combination in the quarter-finals.
Their opponents will be either Lee Jong Min and Wang Chan or Kim Jae Hyeon and Lee Sang Wong. – Bernama
