The world No 18 pair, who tied the knot on May 4, disposed of teammates Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei 21-11, 21-19 in the semifinals at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil today to set up a title showdown against Indonesians Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari in the Super 500 championships.

Jemie Lai attributed their win today to keeping their emotions in check during crucial points and the experience they have gained since being paired up in 2016.

“Today, we controlled our emotions well but tomorrow, against the Indonesians, will be another day, although we have a good record against them.

“…and (if we win), the title will be a priceless wedding gift for us because last week we crashed out in the first round of the Thailand Open. So, being here on home ground and winning the title at the Axiata Arena will be sweeter,” said Jemie Lai, who is looking forward to playing in the first final in Malaysia with her husband.

For the record, Soon Huat-Jemie Lai have defeated the Indonesians five times, in the 2018 Singapore Open, 2019 Fuzhou Open in China, 2019 Singapore Open, 2023 Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai, and 2023 Hong Kong Open.

Meanwhile, 27 students, including 18 from the Badminton Talent Development Programme (BTDP), a joint venture between the education ministry and Perodua, were present to support the Malaysian shuttlers in action at the 2024 Malaysia Masters.

The BTDP, introduced in 2018, aims to unearth talents among primary school pupils and groom them to become national players.

The programme’s 140 coaches train 2,800 primary school pupils at 70 badminton development centres nationwide.