Source: Action Images / ANDREW BOYERS
[Saba Sports News] In the past two years, media have been speculating that Japanese badminton goddess Ohori Aya is in a relationship with Malaysian men’s doubles player Ong Yew Sin, but neither has publicly confirmed their relationship. Last week, both attended the 2024 Indonesia Badminton All-Star Invitational. During the event, fans captured two details confirming their romantic relationship. The first detail was when Ong Yew Sin interacted with award-winning players; a female player next to him pointed at Ohori Aya and said something to him, while Ohori Aya smiled and reached out to touch Ong Yew Sin’s head. The second detail involved Lee Cheuk Yiu, who was cheering from the sidelines, looking at Ong Yew Sin in the aisle, pointing at Ohori Aya and laughing, then pointing at Ong Yew Sin and laughing again. Fans recalled an interview from 2015 when Ohori Aya first visited Malaysia for a badminton league, where she expressed that Malaysians are very warm and friendly. She mentioned to her parents that she would settle in Malaysia after retirement and looked forward to marrying a Malaysian. This suggests that Ohori Aya may have known Ong Yew Sin for quite some time. Later, Ong Yew Sin also posted a photo with Ohori Aya and Higashino Arisa on his personal Instagram. Observant fans noted that Ong Yew Sin and Ohori Aya’s hands were very close together. Yesterday, a Malaysian media outlet released a photo of Ong Yew Sin and Ohori Aya seemingly wearing couple outfits while shopping, captioned: “An open secret, wishing you both well.” In response, some fans joked that according to Japanese customs, the woman takes her husband’s surname after marriage; if Ohori Aya marries Ong Yew Sin, she might have to change her name to “Wang Cai.”