Aaron-Wooi Yik win S'pore Open, third title this year
Malaysia's world No 3 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik had to come back from a first-game loss to beat their South Korean rivals. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : Reigning Asian men's doubles champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik created a personal record today by winning the Singapore Open title, their third crown in a year.
It was no walk in the park for the world No 3 pair as they had to come back from a first-game loss to beat the dogged 10th ranked South Korean pair Seo Seung Jae-Kim Won Ho 15-21, 21-18, 21-19 in 65 minutes.
Aaron-Wooi Yik captured the Badminton Asia Championship title in April and Thailand Open crown two weeks ago. This is their first title in Singapore.
The two pairs have played each other twice with both winning once each.
In a post-match interview, Aaron attributed today's victory to their mental strength in focusing on the tense match, despite being fatigued having played three tournaments back-to-back.
'We told ourselves not to rush but to keep playing one point at a time. We thank the fans here and back home for the motivation and support. This win is not only for us but also for all of them,' he said.
The two-time Olympic bronze medallists won US$74,000 (RM315,296) as the winners of the Singapore Open while the runners-up won US$35,000 (RM149,126) in the World Tour Super 750 event.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who were recently-crowned Malaysian Sportsmen of the Year, have now won a total of five titles in their career.
Today's victory also ends Malaysia's 17-year title drought at the Singapore Open in the men's doubles event. The last time a Malaysian pair won the title was Zakry Latif- Fairuzizuan Tazari in 2008.
Aaron-Wooi Yik had a remarkable run in Singapore as they defeated some of the world's top pairs, namely Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard, Japan's Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi, compatriots Man Wei Cheong-Tee Kai Wun and India's Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy en route to the final.
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