Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing advanced to the final of the China Masters after a commanding victory in the semi-finals at the Shenzhen Arena on Saturday. The Malaysian mixed doubles pair defeated China’s world No. 28 duo Zhu Yijun and Li Qian in straight games, 21-12, 21-10, completing the match in just 34 minutes.

This marks a significant milestone for Hoo, who had previously reached the final at the 2024 China Masters with former partner Cheng Su Yin. On both occasions, Hoo faced and will face the world No. 1 Chinese pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in the final. The same duo denied Hoo and Su Yin the title two years ago.

“For me, it’s a different type of feeling because it’s two different partners,” Hoo said in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). “It’s one of my achievements also. But hopefully, in the final, we can do well.”

Hoo and Lai began their partnership in May and have utilized a three-month break from competition to focus heavily on training. Their last tournament was the Macau Open in June. “Of course, it does help because we have a long period of training. And also, our coaches and our team helped us a lot,” Hoo added.

Lai echoed her partner’s sentiments, acknowledging the challenge of defeating a home crowd favorite pair like Zhu and Li. “I think we knew it wouldn’t be an easy game, so we just focused on every single point,” she said.

The upcoming final presents a formidable challenge as Feng and Huang are in formidable form. The world No. 1 pair have reached five consecutive finals since the Australian Open in June, winning the Australian Open and Japan Open, and securing a silver medal at the World Championships in New Delhi just two weeks prior.

Meanwhile, fellow Malaysians Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai, a husband-and-wife duo, were eliminated in the semi-finals by the same Chinese pair Feng and Huang, falling 11-21, 22-24. Although the defeat ended their run, reaching the semi-finals marked their best performance since January 2025 at the Indian Open.

“It means a lot to us because we can see much improvement from both of us,” Goh said after the match. “And I think we will keep going and train harder.”

The China Masters final between Hoo-Lai and Feng-Huang is set to take place today, with both pairs aiming to claim the prestigious title.