Tee Kai Wun and Yap Roy King claimed the men's doubles title at the 2026 Korea Masters Badminton Championships held on August 9 at Yi Sun-sin Gymnasium in Asan, South Korea [1, 2, 3]. They defeated fellow Malaysians Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong 21-13, 21-18 in a 31-minute final [1, 2, 3].
This victory marked the Korea Masters debut for the pair Tee and Yap, who delivered a commanding performance to secure Malaysia’s second Korea Masters men's doubles title after Soh Wooi Yik won the event in 2024 partnering with Aaron Chia [1, 2].
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi congratulated both pairs, saying, "Our two new pairs put up a thrilling and closely-fought match. Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved for your efforts and commitment" [1].
Yap Roy King described their Korea Masters win as a starting point, emphasizing ambitions for higher-level tournaments: "As for me, I’m not so easily contented as my sights are set on the Super 500, 750 and 1000 tournaments. This was just a Super 300 tournament" [3]. He acknowledged the team’s earlier struggles, adding, "Kind of unexpected, still feels unreal because before we came here (South Korea), we were playing badly. We lost in the first round of the first two tournaments. Then, now we are champions (in Korea Masters)… there’s improvement, and we are quite happy also" [3].
The Badminton Association of Malaysia recently revamped its men's doubles department to find stronger pairs ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics qualifiers, a strategy now bearing fruit with these promising results [3].
The next major international challenge for Tee Kai Wun and Yap Roy King will be higher-tier tournaments, where they aim to build on their breakthrough victory and gain ranking points for Olympic qualification.
