JAKARTA - The men's doubles journey of Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani at the 2026 Malaysia Open was halted in the quarterfinals. They lost to the second-seeded host Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik.
Sabar/Reza, who are ranked as the eighth seed, were seen carrying their bags after losing the match which took place in two games 19-21 and 10-21 at the Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur, on Friday, January 9, 2026.
"I still thank God that I can finish the match well without injury. Today Aaron/Wooi Yik played much better than us. They are very confident and very on fire," said Sabar.
This is the second defeat for Sabar/Reza against the best Malaysian men's doubles in their six clashes. Previously, they suffered another defeat at the French Open last year.
As for Aaron/Soh, this victory was revenge for Sabar/Reza after the previous meeting in the 2025 SEA Games individual final they lost so they failed to get gold.
"The atmosphere of the stadium is very amazing, supporting the host representative, but we try not to be affected. Although we have not succeeded in taking the victory, we have done our best," said Sabar.
Next week, Sabar/Reza will compete in the 2026 India Open, which is a BWF Super 750 level tournament.
"At the India Open next week, hopefully we can get better results and show better performances even with preparations that are not as maximal as usual," said Reza.
Aaron/Soh will next face Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, who secured a semi-final ticket thanks to a victory over former world number one from India, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty.
Fajar/Fikri is one of two Indonesian representatives who can reach the semifinals of the 2026 Malaysia Open. The other ticket was obtained by the men's singles Jonatan Christie.
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