KUALA LUMPUR – Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik advanced to the second round of the China Open today by beating South Korea’s Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho in Changzhou.
The world number four Malaysians took only 35 minutes to register a 21-10, 25-23 win over their opponents, who are ranked fourteenth in the world.
“We started the first set really well, but we lost focus for a bit by dropping a few crucial points,” said Wooi Yik in the post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation.
“I’m glad that we gradually made a comeback to win the second set. Overall, we were satisfied with our performance, but we should also learn to adapt to the court’s environment.
“We adjusted our gameplay and tried to take advantage of our opponents’ flaws throughout the game. We managed to reset ourselves after the World Championships, and we hope to do our best for our country in the upcoming matches,” added Aaron.
Aaron and Wooi Yik’s fellow men’s doubles, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, also emerged victorious as they defeated China’s Ren Xiang Yu and Tan Qiang.
The world number seven Malaysians took 47 minutes to defeat the world number 20 Chinese pair with a score of 21-16, 23-21 in an entertaining match that saw a total of 44 rallies won between them.
Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles, Malaysians Vivian Hoo and Lim Chiew Sien defeated Japan’s Rui Hirokami and Yuna Kato after an intense rubber game.
The world number 35 pair battled for one hour and 16 minutes to overcome their Japanese opponents with a score of 12-21, 21-11, 22-20 and secure their spot in the second round.
The pair will be facing South Korea’s Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee in the second round. – September 6, 2023