The China Open may have ended in disappointment for Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, but the world No. 2 men’s doubles pair can take solace in reaching a major financial milestone.
Despite falling short in the final — losing to Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in Changzhou on Sunday — their runner-up finish secured them a substantial US$70,000 (RM295,435), pushing their total prize money earnings for the season to US$264,887.50 (RM1,117,957). This achievement makes them the first Malaysian shuttlers to surpass the RM1 million mark in prize money this year.
This payout also represents the second-largest earnings for the 2022 world champions this season, trailing only the US$74,000 (RM312,317) they collected after winning the Singapore Open in June.
Their earnings from the China Open far exceed the US$37,325 (RM157,530) earned from winning the Thailand Open and the US$37,000 (RM156,158) secured from their Asia Championships triumph earlier this year.
The 2024 China Open featured a prize purse of US$2 million (RM8,440,998), matching the elevated sum introduced in 2023 and maintained for three consecutive editions. It remains the second-most lucrative event on the BWF World Tour calendar after the season-ending World Tour Finals, which offers a US$2.5 million (RM10,551,250) prize pool.
The China Open’s prize money also surpasses that of other Super 1000 tournaments, such as the Malaysia Open, All England, and Indonesia Open, each offering US$1.45 million.
While Aaron and Soh lead the earnings chart, women’s doubles world No. 3 Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah are close behind, having accumulated US$206,317.50 (RM871,072) in prize money so far this season.
The consistent Pearly-Thinaah duo continued their strong performance in Changzhou, advancing to the semi-finals and pocketing US$28,000 (RM118,174) for their efforts. This result adds to an already impressive season, which includes lucrative finishes such as US$50,750 (RM214,190) and US$33,250 (RM140,331) for runner-up results at the Indonesia Open and Japan Open, respectively, as well as US$37,525 (RM158,374) for their Thailand Open victory.
Next on the list are world No. 7 Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, who have quietly compiled an impressive season, amassing US$146,143.75 (RM617,018) thanks in part to title wins at the Indonesia Masters and Malaysia Masters.
Rounding out the top four earners are world No. 3 Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, winners of the India Open and runners-up at the Japan Open, with total prize money of US$133,593.75 (RM564,099).
With the season entering its critical final stretch — including the Denmark Open, French Open, China Masters, and the season-ending World Tour Finals — the race for greater earnings is far from over.
