(THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian badminton doubles pair Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong have clinched a spot in the finals after defeating China's Chai Biao and Hong Wei during their men's semi-final match at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday (Aug 16).

Goh and Tan are now guaranteed at least a silver medal.

The match ended 21-18, 12-21, 21-17 after three sets.

In the first set, the Malaysians went ahead 11-8 at the break, only to see the Chinese make a return to tie the game at 15-15.

However Goh and Tan quickly pulled away to win the set.

The Chinese pair started strong in the second set, taking a three point lead before Goh and Tan had a chance to react.

The set remained tense throughout the first half with China leading 11-8 at the break.

However, Chai and Hong cruised to a comfortable win in the end, with the Malaysians hardly putting up a fight.

Goh and Tan were quick to recover from their disappointing performance in the rubber set as they came back strong to take a 11-6 lead at the interval.

The Malaysians maintained their solid performance, despite some nervous moments to eventually win the set and the match.

The pair will now play either Great Britain's Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge or China's Zhang Nan and Fu Haifeng in the final on Friday.

The match for the bronze medal will be played on Thursday.