Arctic Open: Zii Jia and Aaron Tai-Roy King advance as eighth seeds Soon Huat-Shevon crash out

Lee Zii Jia and two Malaysian men's doubles pairs are into the second round of the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland. Teenager Aaron Tai and his new partner Yap Roy King won their all-Malaysian first-round match against Tan Wee Kiong and Nur Azriyn Ayub in straight games, 21-12, 21-13.

The opening two days of the BWF World Tour Super 500 event at the Energia Areena did not all go Malaysia's way. Eighth-seeded mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie went out in the first round, and Thursday's second-round programme gives several of the surviving Malaysians a tough draw, including a meeting with the top seeds.

Zii Jia makes light work of Dong Tian Yao

Lee came through qualifying on Tuesday (6 Oct), beating Finland's Kalle Koljonen 21-12, 21-15. He then beat China's Dong Tian Yao 21-18, 21-14 in the first round on Wednesday. The win carried some weight because Dong had beaten the former All England champion in qualifying at the Orleans Masters earlier this year.

Lee, who now plays as an independent, is the only Malaysian left in the men's singles. The Star reported that four other Malaysian men's singles players withdrew. He won the Arctic Open three years ago, beating Ng Tze Yong in the final, but recently lost in the first round of the Super 100 Vietnam Open.

Next he faces Taiwan's Su Li Yang, who beat compatriot Lin Chun Yi 21-17, 21-6.

Aaron Tai and Roy King win the all-Malaysian clash

The match between Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King and veterans Tan Wee Kiong and Nur Azriyn Ayub was billed as a test for the new partnership, and Tai and Roy King passed it easily. They took both games by at least eight points and now meet Taiwan's seventh seeds, the brothers Lee Fang Chih and Lee Fang Jen. The Taiwanese pair beat Italy's Alessandro Gozzini and Luca Zhou 21-8, 21-10 in their opener.

Professional pair Chia Wei Jie and Teo Ee Yi also advanced. They beat Lithuania's Danielius Berzanskis and Domas Paksys, who had come through qualifying, 21-12, 21-12. Their next opponents are Taiwan's Lai Po Yu and Tsai Fu Cheng, who beat Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen 21-15, 21-17.

Mixed doubles: two through, three out

The first round of the mixed doubles on Tuesday was a mixed day for Malaysia. Chen Tang Jie and Chan Wen Tse, back together as a pairing, won an all-Malaysian match against Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing 21-15, 21-16. Jimmy Wong and Cheng Su Yin beat Sweden's Oscar Reuterhall and Nathalie Wang 21-12, 21-16.

Goh and Shevon had the most painful exit. They won a tight first game 27-25 against England's unseeded Samuel Jones and Lizzie Tolman, then lost the next two 21-18, 21-15 after 63 minutes. Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien also went out, losing 21-15, 21-18 to China's fifth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui.

Thursday's second round is harder. Chen and Chan face China's top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping. Wong and Cheng play Japan's Akira Koga and Natsu Saito, who went through when Thailand's fourth seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran retired.

Thursday's schedule in Malaysia time

Play in Vantaa starts at 10am local time on Thursday (8 Oct), which is 3pm in Malaysia. Jimmy Wong and Cheng Su Yin open on Court 3 at about 3.10pm Malaysia time. Lee's match against Su is second on Court 1, so it should start in the late afternoon Malaysia time. Chen and Chan are fifth on Court 2, Aaron Tai and Roy King are seventh on Court 1, and Chia and Teo are 11th on Court 3, so the doubles pairs are likely to play in the evening Malaysia time. Exact start times depend on how long the earlier matches run.

The tournament carries US$500,000 (about RM2.04 million) in prize money and ends with the finals on Sunday (11 Oct).

Key takeaways

• Lee Zii Jia beat Dong Tian Yao 21-18, 21-14 and faces Taiwan's Su Li Yang in the second round.
• Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King beat Tan Wee Kiong and Nur Azriyn Ayub 21-12, 21-13 and next play Taiwan's seventh seeds.
• Eighth seeds Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie lost in three games to England's Samuel Jones and Lizzie Tolman.
• Chen Tang Jie and Chan Wen Tse play China's top seeds in the second round on Thursday.

FAQ When does play start on Thursday in Malaysia time? Play in Vantaa starts at 10am local time, which is 3pm in Malaysia. Most Malaysian matches should finish between late afternoon and the evening.

Who does Lee Zii Jia play next at the Arctic Open? He plays Taiwan's Su Li Yang in the second round. Su beat compatriot Lin Chun Yi in straight games.

Which Malaysians are out of the Arctic Open? Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie, Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien, Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing, and Tan Wee Kiong and Nur Azriyn Ayub are out.

Sources: Bernama, Malay Mail, The Star, Badminton Planet, BWF