National men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Tai earned recognition from an unlikely source, after he and partner Kang Khai Xing dished out an upset to march into the Singapore Open quarter-finals.
The praise for Tai came from India’s most decorated female singles shuttler P.V.Sindhu.
“Aaron Tai is a very, very interesting player. I’ve been tracking him since his junior days, and he was always known for bringing some really fun strokes onto the court.
“A few of my sparring partners in Bangalore have played him on the junior circuit too, they’ve all spoken highly of him,” posted Sindhu on her social media page.
The praise from Sindhu certainly comes as a surprising one, given the vast age gap and different disciplines both shuttlers compete in.
But as remarked by the 2019 world champion and two-time Olympic medalist, Tai’s performance has not gone unnoticed.
It comes as no surprise as the 19-year-old shone in his junior days, having won the World Junior Championship in 2024 with Kang.
The pair’s transition to the elite level has also been smooth.
Currently ranked in the world top 30, Tai-Kang have now reached their second quarter-finals of the year after they stunned Indonesian pair Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza Pahlevi 21-19, 21-17 to reach the last eight.
They will next go up against Sindhu’s national team-mates Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the quarter-finals.
For the record, Tai-Kang will be eyeing a second win over the world number four pair, having already beaten them at the All-England this year.
As for Sindhu, the world number 11 also reached the quarter-finals in Singapore, but will face a tough opponent in the form of South Korea’s An Se-young.
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