Arjun-Hariharan upset Malaysian pair to enter historic Indonesia Open QF

Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun advanced to their maiden BWF Super 1000 quarterfinals by upsetting Malaysia's Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing at the Indonesia Open. Meanwhile, PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty exited in the Round of 16

Hyderabad: India’s men’s doubles combination of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun pulled off a stunning upset against the higher-ranked Malaysian duo of Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing from a game down on Thursday to storm into their first-ever BWF World Tour Super 1000 quarterfinals at the ongoing Indonesia Open.

The unseeded Indian pair showed immense resilience to defeat the Malaysians 16-21, 21-15, 21-19 in a thrilling Round of 16 encounter. The victory carried an extra sweet edge for the Indian camp, as Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing had previously knocked out India’s premier duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the opening round of the All England Open 2026.

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While the opening game didn’t go in the Indians’ favor, they staged a brilliant fightback from the mid-game interval of the second game to shift momentum and force a decider. Showing remarkable composure, Amsakarunan and Arjun trailed for the majority of the final game until 16-17, before regaining their hold at the crucial juncture to seal the victory in 48 minutes. They will next face seventh seeds Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin of Malaysia in the final eight.

The Indian pair, currently ranked World No. 30, have been on a giant-killing spree this season. They initially grabbed the spotlight earlier this year by defeating former World No. 6 and World Championship medalists Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia at the India Open, and they were also key contributors to India’s bronze medal-winning Thomas Cup team in 2026.

However, it was a day of mixed fortunes for India as the singles campaign evaporated at the Istora Senayan stadium. Earlier in the day, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu suffered her 10th consecutive straight-games defeat against South Korea’s world champion and top seed An Se-young, bowing out 17-21, 15-21 in women’s singles. In the men’s singles draw, young national hope Ayush Shetty exited after a grueling battle against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, losing 21-16, 13-21, 14-21