Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik blaze into Singapore Open final, ready to avenge earlier loss to South Korean rivals
The world No. 3 pair have been in great form this season, having captured the Thailand Open title on May 18 and finishing as runners-up at the Malaysia Masters last week.
However, Aaron-Wooi Yik will need to be cautious, as they lost to the Korean pair in their previous encounter at the India Open 2025 in January.
Won Ho-Seung Jae cruised to the final after defeating Danish pair, Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, 21-17 and 21-16.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, the third seeds, showcased their class and composure by ousting India's duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, 19-21, 21-10, 21-18 in 64 minutes.
It was a dominant display from the Malaysians to mark their 10th victory after 13 head-to-head encounters against the Indian pair and Wooi Yik described the semi-final clash against the Indian duo as a high-quality match.
'I think every point was very important for us. Even when we were leading by one or two points, we couldn't relax, we had to stay focused because they had many strategies and every shot was critical,' he said in a BWF audio recording shared with the media.
When asked about the title showdown today, Aaron said: 'The focus is on giving our all, one step at a time: The most important thing now is to rest well and recover properly for the match. We know it's going to be a tough one.' — Bernama
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Malay Mail
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4 hours ago
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Balasingam's own journey began in 1960s Ipoh, when a stick, a ball, and boundless energy could take a boy far. Today, he's bringing that same spirit to schools with neither money nor facilities for hockey. His mission is simple: keep the sport alive by making sure children can play, learn, and dream. Often dipping into his own savings, he provides sticks, balls, and coaching. There's also the boys Under-12 K Balasingam Cup for Tamil schools in Selangor. The results are showing. The Star hockey academy has burst onto the Malaysian Junior Hockey League, making their debut last month in the boys' division two. Parents, too, are getting involved, staying after work to watch training or pooling money for equipment. 'It's not just hockey,' said head coach Gopal Krishnan. 'It's discipline, confidence, and friendship.' Balasingam knows talent can bloom anywhere if nurtured early. But many Tamil schools face shrinking enrolments, small budgets, and limited sports programmes. 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Proof the pipeline is alive and scoring. (K Balasingam pic) A royal push The seeds were planted in 2016, when Sultan Abdullah, then Tengku Mahkota Pahang and president of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), asked entrepreneur Radha Krishnan Nair: 'Where are all the Indian players who used to dominate national, state, and club teams in the 70s and 80s?' Radha Krishnan, then an MHC vice-president, replied that the answer lay in Tamil schools. The Sultan's instruction was simple: 'Do what you have to do. You have my support.' Soon, the Malaysian Indian Sports Cultural Foundation (MISCF) launched a grassroots programme to introduce hockey in rural Tamil schools across several states. From that came an all-Indian MISCF-UFL team in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League, finishing seventh and sixth in 2016 and 2017. Radha Krishnan spent RM150,000 of his own money each season to keep it going before costs became unsustainable. 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The Sun
4 hours ago
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Malaysian badminton pairs eye world championship finals in Paris
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