The world No 2 pair, who were hoping to make their second consecutive final after last week’s Malaysia Open, lost 10-21, 21-13, 11-21 to 22nd ranked Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita in a match that lasted 44 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.

Malaysia suffered the first blow earlier today when top women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah were eliminated in the semi-final also by a Japanese pair. There are no Malaysians left in the tournament.

Aaron-Wooi Yik, who were also losing semi-finalists last year, will take home US$13,300 (RM54,000) as semi-finalists.

The duo were hoping to retain the title for Malaysia won by Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani last year. The India Open has been a fairly good hunting ground for Aaron-Wooi Yik as they were runners-up in 2023 and semi-finalists the last two years.

Despite the loss, the pair have had a fairly good start in the World Tour series. Last year, they entered six finals, winning three titles namely the Badminton Asia Championships, Singapore Open and Thailand Open.