KUALA LUMPUR – Qualifying for the season-ending World Tour Finals is indeed a target, but Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, are more focused on rediscovering their Olympic form.
The pair admitted they are far from matching the level of their bronze medal-winning performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, they are determined to regain their rhythm, looking ahead to the upcoming season.
Making solid progress towards their goals, the world number five pair advanced to the quarter-finals of the Super 750 China Masters today, defeating independent compatriots Nur Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong 21-13, 21-19 in the second round.
Their next challenge will be a tough quarter-final clash against third seeds He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu of China, who had earlier beaten Malaysia’s Wan Junaidi Wan Arif and Yap Roy King 21-10, 21-19.
To secure a spot at the US$2.5 million (RM11.18 mil) World Tour Finals in Hangzhou next month, Aaron and Wooi Yik must at least reach the semi-finals in Shenzhen.
Currently ranked ninth in the Race to Finals standings, the pair need to break into the top eight to make the cut.
“Everything is going well. We’re just focusing on one match at a time,” Aaron told Scoop.
“We’re still hoping to qualify for the World Tour Finals, but as I’ve said before, we’ll leave it to fate. The bigger priority is finding our best form again, like before the Olympics.”
Earlier, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky had urged the duo to shift their focus from qualifying for the World Tour Finals to preparing for the challenging 2025 season, which begins with the Super 1000 Malaysia Open in January.
Meanwhile, independent pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who have already qualified for the World Tour Finals, secured their spot in the quarter-finals with a commanding 21-18, 21-16 victory over Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and two-time Olympic gold medallist Wang Chi-Lin.
They will next face Indonesia’s Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.
In mixed doubles, Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin delivered a stunning performance to upset world number three Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China, 16-21, 21-14, 21-19.
The Malaysian pair will take on Chinese Taipei’s Chen Cheng Kuan and Hsu Yin Hui in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, national number one mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei made the last eight, overcoming a slow start to defeat France’s Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue 14-21, 23-21, 21-8.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei will next face China’s Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui.
At the same time, it was the end of the road for independent mixed doubles pair Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien, who were eliminated by Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet in a gruelling 17-21, 21-15, 21-9 second-round match.
In the women’s doubles, Malaysia’s top duo, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, defeated Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto 21-18, 18-21, 21-13 in the second round and will face second seeds and Paris Olympics silver medallists Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China next. – November 21, 2024