Denmark Open: Aaron-Wooi Yik, Pearly-Thinaah and Pang Ron-Pei Jing reach semis as Sze Fei-Izzuddin fall

Malaysia will have three pairs in the Denmark Open semi-finals after a good Friday (16 October) at the BWF World Tour Super 750 event in Odense. Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and the unseeded mixed pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing all won their quarter-finals. Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin's run ended against China's second seeds. This follows on from the second-round wins we reported on Thursday, which included two all-Malaysian ties.

Aaron-Wooi Yik win in straight games, set up clash with world No. 1s

The fourth-seeded Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik beat Japan's Hiroki Okamura-Kyohei Yamashita 21-16, 21-18. Earlier in the week they knocked out the defending champions, Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi.

The semi-final is a tough one. They face South Korea's Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae, the top seeds and world No. 1 pair. The Koreans needed only two games to beat Japan's Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi, and the first of those finished 21-5.

Pearly-Thinaah recover from losing the first game

The second seeds, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, dropped the opening game to India's Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela. They then won 14-21, 21-17, 21-11 in 55 minutes. According to The Star, they are the first Malaysian women's doubles pair to reach the Denmark Open semi-finals in 18 years. The last pair to do it were Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty in 2008, and they went on to win the title.

Next up is China's Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan. The Chinese pair beat Bulgaria's Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva 21-12, 26-24 in their quarter-final. Pearly told reporters the pair were happy with the result but needed to "stay focused".

Pang Ron-Pei Jing keep up their giant-killing run

The best surprise of the week has come from the professional pair Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing. The Star lists them at world No. 51. On Thursday they beat Thailand's world No. 5 pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran. On Friday they beat Japan's Akira Koga-Natsu Saito 21-15, 24-22 in 44 minutes, winning a close second game.

It is their second semi-final of the season, after the China Masters. Their semi-final opponents will be China's Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping, the top seeds and world No. 1 pair, who beat Taiwan's Ye Hong-wei-Nicole Gonzales Chan in straight games.

Sze Fei-Izzuddin win the first game but lose

Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani won the first game against second seeds Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang. The Chinese pair came back to win 18-21, 21-18, 21-15 in 55 minutes. It was a close match, but the Malaysians leave Odense after the quarter-finals. Earlier in the week they had won an all-Malaysian second-round tie to get there.

Semi-finals on Saturday

All three Malaysian pairs play their semi-finals in Odense on Saturday, 17 October. Malaysia could have a finalist in all three doubles events, but every pair faces a Chinese or Korean seeded pair, and two of them face the world No. 1s. Order of play and start times may change, so fans in Malaysia should check the official BWF schedule. Results from Saturday's semi-finals will be in our next report.

Key takeaways

• Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik beat Okamura-Yamashita 21-16, 21-18 and now face top seeds Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae.
• Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah came back to win 14-21, 21-17, 21-11 and are the first Malaysian women's pair in the Denmark Open semis since 2008.
• Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing beat Koga-Saito 21-15, 24-22 and face world No. 1s Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping.
• Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin lost 21-18, 18-21, 15-21 to China's Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang.

FAQ

How many Malaysians are in the Denmark Open 2026 semi-finals? Three pairs: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in men's doubles, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah in women's doubles, and Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing in mixed doubles.

Who knocked out Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin? China's second seeds Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang beat them 18-21, 21-18, 21-15 in the quarter-finals on 16 October.

When are the Denmark Open semi-finals and final? The semi-finals are on Saturday, 17 October, and the finals are on Sunday, 18 October, at the arena in Odense.

Sources: Bernama, The Star, Media Selangor, Lumi News