From Tennis and Squash to Padel History: Christian-Aidan Win Malaysia's Silver in the Sport's Asian Games Debut
Unseeded Christian Didier Chin and Aidan Yunus reached the first Asian Games padel final before losing 6-3, 6-1 to Qatar's Naif brothers.
Few Malaysians were talking about padel when the Asian Games began. By the final weekend, Christian Didier Chin and Aidan Yunus had put the sport on the national radar, reaching the men's doubles final in padel's first appearance at the Games and coming home with a silver medal.
The unseeded pair lost 6-3, 6-1 to Qatar's Mashari Naif and Rashed Naif in Saturday's final in Nagoya. The brothers became the first padel gold medallists in Asian Games history.
Unexpected run to the final
Christian and Aidan entered the competition without medal expectations. Both came to padel from other racquet sports: Christian from professional tennis and Aidan from squash.
Their best moment came in the semi-final against Iran's Farsad Shahi and Amirmohammad Jamshidi. After losing the opening set 1-6, the Malaysians fought back to win the next two sets 6-4, 6-1 and secure a place in the final.
"I think we played an amazing match and, most importantly, we gave everything we had on court," Christian said after the semi-final. Speaking to padel's world governing body, he added: "All of this is incredible. Now that we are in the final, we will enjoy the moment."
Qatar too strong in the final
The Qatari pair, who beat opponents from Kuwait, the UAE and Iran on their way to the final without dropping a set, kept that form against Malaysia. The Malaysians could not find a way back into the match, and the gold went to Qatar.
A shot at a record
The final carried extra weight for Malaysia. Going into Saturday, the contingent had nine golds, equalling the national record from Guangzhou 2010. A padel win would have set a new record of ten. When both the padel and men's hockey finals ended in defeat, Malaysia finished level with the record instead.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had urged Malaysians to get behind the padel and hockey teams before the finals, saying "the battle for gold continues."
Why the silver matters
The medal is significant because padel was making its Asian Games debut. Chef de mission Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan named padel alongside esports and karate as the sports that delivered pleasant surprises for the contingent in Japan.
Reaching the first-ever Asian Games padel final, and earning one of Malaysia's seven silver medals, gives the sport in Malaysia an early benchmark and a high-profile result to build on.
Key takeaways
- Christian Didier Chin and Aidan Yunus won silver in men's doubles padel on 3 October.
- They lost the final 6-3, 6-1 to Qatar's Mashari Naif and Rashed Naif.
- The pair came from a set down to beat Iran 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the semi-final.
- Christian is a former professional tennis player; Aidan previously played squash.
- A padel gold would have given Malaysia a record tenth gold of the Games.
FAQ
Was this padel's first Asian Games? Yes. Padel made its debut at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, and Qatar won the first men's doubles gold.
Who did Christian and Aidan beat in the semi-final? Iran's Farsad Shahi and Amirmohammad Jamshidi, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Were the Malaysians expected to win a medal? No. They were unseeded and went into the event without medal expectations.
Sources: Bernama, The Star, Utusan Malaysia, Qatar Living, Padel FIP, Malay Mail