KUCHING: Two titles in less than four months together.
National pair Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King had to dig deep for their second title in less than four months, recovering from a game deficit to beat former world champions and former world No. 1 pair Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi 16-21, 21-13, 21-15 in a gripping 54-minute Kumamoto Masters final on Sunday.
The Malaysians had to work their way back into the contest after dropping the opening game 16-21, with Hoki–Kobayashi making the better start in front of their home crowd.
Aaron–Roy King responded sharply in the second.
They pushed the tempo, attacked with far more conviction and gave the Japanese pair little breathing room as they opened up a commanding lead.
A few unforced errors briefly delayed the finish, but the Malaysians had already taken control and closed out the game 21–13 to force a decider.
The final game swung repeatedly.
Aaron and Roy King initially struggled to settle as Hoki-Kobayashi regained their rhythm, but Aaron began to shift the momentum before Roy King followed his lead as the Malaysians gradually wrestled back control.
Neither pair managed to pull away for long as the pressure built, but Aaron–Roy King eventually found the separation they needed to take the decider 21-15.
The victory gives the Malaysian pair their second title since being partnered less than four months ago, adding Kumamoto to the Arctic Open crown they won earlier in their partnership.
