Korea Open 2026: Zii Jia and Aaron-Wooi Yik withdraw as Malaysia's shuttlers open in Yeosu

The Korea Open badminton tournament began in Yeosu on Tuesday, 3 November, with qualifying, and two of Malaysia's biggest names are missing. Lee Zii Jia has withdrawn because of illness, and men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have also pulled out. Seven Malaysian doubles pairs are in the main draw, while K. Letshanaa tries to end a run of first-round exits.

Korea Open at a glance

The Yeosu Victor Korea Open is a BWF World Tour Super 500 event at Jinnam Gymnasium. It runs from 3 to 8 November, with finals on Sunday. Organisers say 365 players from 27 countries have entered. Qualifying takes place on 3 November, and the main draw follows. Korea is one hour ahead of Malaysia, so a 10am start in Yeosu is 9am in Malaysia.

The home favourite is world No. 1 An Se-young, who won the Korea Open in 2022 and 2023. BWF says she is chasing a record-equalling 11th title of the season.

Letshanaa looks for a turnaround

Letshanaa, ranked 27th in the world, lost in the first round at both the Denmark Open and the French Open last month. That was her ninth early exit in a row. Her last quarter-final was at the Malaysia Masters in May.

Her first-round opponent is Thailand's Tonrug Saeheng, an 18-year-old ranked 68th, whom she has never played. If she wins, she could face An in the second round. An beat her at this event last year and has won all four of their meetings. Singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said the aim is for her to learn from each defeat.

World No. 40 Wong Ling Ching plays Indonesia's Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan, ranked 65th, in the women's singles first round. Ling Ching leads their head-to-head 2-1.

Men's singles: Zii Jia out, two Malaysians in qualifying

Zii Jia withdrew from Yeosu to recover from illness. He had fever and stomach problems during the Hylo Open in Saarbrücken, where he beat Singapore's Jason Teh before losing to Japan's Kodai Naraoka in the round of 16. He is aiming to return at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow from 24 to 29 November.

World No. 85 Eogene Ewe is the only national-team men's singles player in the draw. In qualifying he plays South Korea's Park Sang-yong. To reach the main draw he must then beat the winner of Indonesia's Richie Duta Richardo against Garret Tan of the US. Independent player Cheam June Wei is also in qualifying. The qualifying results were not available when this article was published.

Aaron-Wooi Yik out, seven doubles pairs in

Aaron-Wooi Yik, the world No. 4 pair, withdrew from the Korea Open, The Star reported, after also skipping the Hylo Open. No official reason was given and BAM had not commented. Wooi Yik picked up a right heel injury at the French Open, where the pair gave a walkover in the quarter-finals. They are sixth in the race for the eight places at the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou in December. They remain listed for the Japan Masters in Kumamoto (10–15 November) and the Hong Kong Open (17–22 November).

Five Malaysian men's doubles pairs are in the opening round, but at most four can progress because world No. 8 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun face compatriots Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong. Chia Weijie-Teo Ee Yi play Chen Boyang-Liu Yi, Bryan Jeremy Goonting-Mohd Haikal Nazri face Wang Chang-Xie Haonan on their Korea Open debut, and Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong meet Jin Yong-Jo Song-hyun. In mixed doubles, Chen Tang Jie-Chan Wen Tse face Andika Ramadiansyah-Nozomi Shimizu. Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing, semi-finalists at their last three events, play Thailand's Tonkid Saeheng-Tonrug Saeheng.

Key takeaways

• The Korea Open (Super 500) runs from 3 to 8 November at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, with qualifying on 3 November.
• Lee Zii Jia withdrew because of illness, and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik also pulled out. Eogene Ewe and Cheam June Wei are in men's singles qualifying.
• Seven Malaysian doubles pairs (five men's, two mixed) are in the main draw, including Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun and Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing.
• Letshanaa plays Tonrug Saeheng and could then meet world No. 1 An Se-young.
• Wong Ling Ching plays Thalita Wiryawan and leads their head-to-head 2-1.

FAQ

Are Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik playing the 2026 Korea Open? No. They withdrew, their second straight missed event after the Hylo Open, and no official reason was given. Wooi Yik injured his right heel at the French Open. They remain listed for the Japan Masters and the Hong Kong Open.

What time are Korea Open matches in Malaysia? Korea (KST, UTC+9) is one hour ahead of Malaysia (UTC+8), so subtract one hour from the local start time in Yeosu. The finals are on Sunday, 8 November.

Who is Letshanaa's first-round opponent at the Korea Open? She plays Thailand's Tonrug Saeheng, who is 18 and ranked 68th in the world. They have never played each other.

Sources: The Star, BWF, Nocut News, Badminton Planet, Kontan, Liga Olahraga