KUALA LUMPUR – Big occasions, like the Olympics, always bring out the best in Malaysia’s top men’s doubles duo, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
The world number three duo booked their ticket to the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics today after overcoming Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India, 13-21, 21-14, 21-16, at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
Known for their ability to rise to the occasion in major events, Aaron and Wooi Yik, bronze medallists from the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, opened up about how much it meant for them to defeat the Indian pair, especially after back-to-back defeats in the last three meetings.
“The nerves and pressure coming into the match were intense because we have been losing to them in the last few meetings.
“This was the big one for us, and all we wanted to do was to cross over this hurdle. We did it,” Aaron told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Echoing his partner’s sentiments, Wooi Yik said it was always going to be difficult to beat Satwiksairaj and Chirag because of their height advantage on court.
“They put us under a lot of pressure in the first game. It’s normal because they are tall players and have the advantage in receiving areas.
“But we came into this match prepared for that. Most importantly, we told ourselves not to lose too many points.
“We were just waiting for our chance to come back, and in the third game, when we trailed back from 14-16 to level the score, we found our chances and went on the attack,” added Wooi Yik.
Awaiting the Malaysians in the final four tomorrow are China’s world number one duo, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who defeated Aaron and Wooi Yik in the group stages last week.
First-timers at the Olympics, Wei Keng and Chang defeated Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto 24-22, 22-20 in the quarter-finals.
When asked about their approach ahead of another tough match, Aaron said: “We need to be prepared, try to play with no pressure on court, play our own game. If we can do that, we will achieve the results we want.”
Separately, Wooi Yik also admitted that Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah’s historic win in the women’s doubles quarter-finals earlier – against South Korea’s Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong – motivated them further.
“Of course, we are happy for them. After watching them win, we were also motivated and excited to do the same,” he added. – August 1, 2024