Not a memorable home debut for Arif-Roy King

KUALA LUMPUR: National men’s doubles’ pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King bowed out in the opening round of their Malaysian Open debuts.

The world No. 23 Arif-Roy King went down 17-21, 11-21 to scratch pair Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil today (Jan 8).

It was still an encouraging performance from the Malaysian duo as it was their first appearance in the home tourney, and Seung-jae and Won-ho are both strong players.

Seung-jae clinched both the men’s and mixed doubles world titles with his former partner Kang Min-hyuk and Chae Yu-jung respectively.

Won-ho is also an accomplished player, securing the silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics with his mixed doubles partner, Jeong Na-eun.