Arif-Azriyn stun Aaron-Wooi Yik

for Malaysia is all that matters for independent men’s doubles Mohd Arif Latif-Nur Azriyn Ayub, who reached the semi-finals of the Vietnam Open yesterday.

In the quarter-finals, ArifAzriyn stunned in-form national duo, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 2115, 21-18.

When contacted in Ho Chi Minh City, Arif said: “Personally, it doesn't really matter if we are national players or not. At the end of the day we still carry the Malaysian flag.

“I believe Aaron-Wooi Yik were under a lot of pressure, especially after their impressive run in the World Championships recently. They had a lot to prove.

“For Azriyn and I, we have our targets (to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics), so we need to improve on our ranking. We want to give our best and take things one step at a time.”

Arif-Azriyn, who left the BA of Malaysia (BAM) in June, after a three-month probation, will take on Taiwan’s Lee Sheng Mu-Yang Po Hsuan next.

The Taiwanese duo had earlier seen off Malaysia’s Goh Sze FeiNur Izzuddin Rumsani 21-14, 1921, 21-15 in the quarter-finals.

Arif-Azriyn, who won the Russian Open title last month, are Malaysia’s sole remaining representatives in the tournament, after national women’s singles shuttler, Ho Yen Mei lost 20-22, 21-15, 21-11 to seventh seed, Han Yue of China in the last eight.