KUMAMOTO, Japan — Malaysia’s rising men’s doubles stars Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King continued their remarkable run at the Kumamoto Masters 2026, powering into the semi-finals with a commanding straight-game victory over Taiwan’s Lee Jhe Huei and Yang Po Hsuan on Friday.
The world No. 57 Malaysians, known as Aaron-Roy King, defeated the world No. 15 Taiwanese pair 21-16, 21-12 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, keeping Malaysia’s impressive semi-final record alive.
Aaron-Roy King Continue Their Remarkable Rise
Playing in only their fifth tournament together, Aaron-Roy King have already established themselves as one of Malaysia’s most exciting new men’s doubles combinations.
Their latest victory marks their third semi-final appearance in five tournaments since joining forces last month.
The partnership made an immediate impact by capturing the Arctic Open title on their debut before reaching the last four at the Hylo Open in Germany.
Their Kumamoto campaign has been equally impressive.
After stunning world No. 5 compatriots Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani 21-14, 21-15 in the second round, the young duo followed up with another convincing performance against their higher-ranked Taiwanese opponents.
The back-to-back victories highlight the pair’s encouraging progress against established international combinations.
Malaysia’s Kumamoto Semi-Final Streak Lives On
Their victory also ensures Malaysia will have a men’s doubles semi-finalist at the Kumamoto Masters for the fourth consecutive year.
The streak began with Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi in 2023, followed by Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub in 2024 and Sze Fei-Izzuddin in 2025.
With other Malaysian men’s doubles pairs already eliminated, Aaron-Roy King have successfully carried the nation’s remaining hopes into the last four.
Another Big Test Awaits
The Malaysians will face either Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard or Japan’s Hiroki Okamura-Kyohei Yamashita in Saturday’s semi-finals.
A victory would send them into Sunday’s final and give the fast-rising partnership another opportunity to challenge for a title.
From a debut championship to three semi-finals in five tournaments, Aaron-Roy King are making their mark on the international stage.
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