Early danger for Malaysian men's pairs at Malaysia Open

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's men's doubles face an unforgiving opening test at the Malaysia Open from Jan 6-11, with several top pairs handed heavyweight first-round draw.

The toughest opener belongs to fifth seeds Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who will take on Denmark's former world No. 1 duo Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.

The world No. 10 Danes remain one of the most physically imposing pairs on tour, making it a stern opening hurdle for the world No. 5 Malaysians on home soil.

World No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will open against the unseeded but unpredictable United States' world No. 32 Chen Zhi Yi-Presley Smith.

Their toughest test could come as early as the quarter-finals as they could meet Indonesia's world No. 8 pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.

The Indonesians lead their head-to-head record 4-1.

World No. 7 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani face Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard, a pairing ranked 27th but capable of dragging opponents into long, attritional rallies.

Further down the Malaysian lineup, world No. 29 Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi meet compatriots Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong, ranked 28th, in an all-Malaysian duel that guarantees one home pair an early exit.

World No. 33 Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri will play Taiwan's Chen Zhi Ray-Lin Yu Chieh, while world No. 17 Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King are drawn against the cross-national pairing of Choi Sol Gyu-Goh V Shem ranked 44.

There is intrigue at the very top of the draw as world No. 1 Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae renew rivalry with China's world No. 9 Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi in a rematch of their clash at the 2025 World Championships, a contest that could set the tone for the entire quarter.

With multiple seeded Malaysians facing established European and Asian powerhouses straight away, the opening round promises high intensity from the outset, leaving little margin for error for the home favourites seeking early momentum at the start of the season.