Latest news with #WooiYik
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Quality, quantity from Malaysia for World Championships
KUALA LUMPUR: It's a double booster. Malaysia will have both quality and quantity in men's doubles at next's World Championships in Paris. Malaysia will be the only country represented by four men's pairs, not even China or Indonesia, at the world meet. This came about after Wan Arif Junaidi–Yap Roy King became the fourth Malaysian pair to qualify for Paris. World No. 24 Arif–Junaidi came in after Indonesian world No. 17 Shohibul Fikri-Daniel Marthin decided not to compete in the world meet as Daniel is still recovering from knee surgery. Earlier, world No. 2 Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik, world No. 4 Goh Sze Fei–Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and world No. 7 Man Wei Chong–Tee Kai Wun have booked their world tickets. And Malaysia will be the only country boasting three world top-eight pairs in Aaron–Wooi Yik, Sze Fei–Izzuddin and Wei Chong–Kai Wun, and having the biggest representation. The more, the better is Malaysia's chance of landing a second world title since Aaron–Wooi Yik's triumph in 2022 in Tokyo where Malaysia were also represented by four pairs. However, a cautious national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said having the numbers may not make the task easier. "Numbers alone will not ensure success. We must make sure our preparation heads in the right way for the title. "So, it is not about how many of our pairs qualified for Paris. We will have to fight for that, and good preparation will ensure the title." Rexy's caution may have some truth, as Aaron–Wooi Yik were left to battle on their own after Sze Fei–Izzuddin, Ong Yew Sin–Teo Ee Yi and Goh V Shem–Tan Wee Kiong were eliminated before the World Championships quarter-final in 2022. Malaysia had three pairs at the last World Championships (2023), where Aaron–Wooi Yik secured a bronze while Wei Chong–Kai Wun and Yew Sin–Ee Yi crashed out in the third round.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Indonesian scratch pair stuns Aaron-Wooi Yik in China Open final
INDONESIAN scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri pulled off a stunning victory against Malaysia's Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the 2025 China Open men's doubles final. The newly formed duo, paired just last week, dominated the match with a 21-15, 21-14 win in just 35 minutes at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium. The world number two Malaysian pair struggled to counter the Indonesians' precision and control, particularly in windy conditions on Court One. Wooi Yik admitted their rivals outperformed them in shot placement and front-court exchanges. 'They controlled the shuttle very well, especially in the first three shots, which was crucial. Their style is similar to ours, but they executed better today,' he said in a BWF recording. Aaron echoed his partner's sentiments, acknowledging the Indonesians' exceptional form. 'Their shot quality was outstanding. As a scratch pair, we needed more time to adapt to their gameplay. Their run this week was god-like—they even beat the world number one,' he said. Despite the loss, Aaron-Wooi Yik remain focused on their next challenge—the 2025 BWF World Championships in Paris. Wooi Yik emphasized staying composed under pressure. 'We believe in our gameplay and training. There's still a month to prepare, and we'll take it match by match,' he said. The Malaysians have won three titles this season but fell short of adding the China Open to their tally. Meanwhile, the Indonesian pair's rapid rise signals a new threat in men's doubles badminton. – Bernama
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
No room for slow starts as Aaron-Wooi Yik eye China Open final
KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik believe they are getting back on track at just the right time after marching into the China Open semi-finals on Friday. The Malaysians looked sharp as they dispatched world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun 21-16, 21-16 in just 33 minutes in their all-Malaysian quarter-final clash at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium. Aaron-Wooi Yik, who suffered a shock first-round exit to independent pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi at last week's Japan Open, were back to their best, showing the kind of form that has won them three titles this season. "We're getting back on track at the right time, and we'll give our best shot tomorrow (Saturday)," said Aaron. "We used to train together, so it really came down to making the right changes at crucial stages." Yew Sin-Ee Yi had threatened to set up an all-Malaysian semi-final, but those hopes were dashed by world No. 12 and reigning Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. The Indian pair won 21-18, 21-14 in 40 minutes to book a meeting with Aaron-Wooi Yik. Wooi Yik said they must avoid the lapses in concentration that saw them fall 9-4 behind in the opening game against Wei Chong-Kai Wun. "It was a tight game, but we didn't overthink it. We just focused on our gameplay and rhythm," said Wooi Yik. "At the start, we lost concentration and allowed them to take a big lead. That's something we need to work on." Despite the defeat, Wei Chong gave credit to Aaron-Wooi Yik. "Their game plan was effective, and they were very clear about what they needed to execute. We couldn't break their rhythm." Kai Wun admitted that Aaron-Wooi Yik raised their level in Changzhou to improve their head-to-head record to 4-3. "Our service returns and defensive retrieving didn't work today," said Kai Wun. "That made it difficult, and we ended up making more mistakes. Even though we know each other's game, the pair who controlled the drift and shuttle flight had the edge." Aaron-Wooi Yik's commanding 10-3 head-to-head record against Satwik-Chirag should give them confidence heading into Saturday's semi-final of the Super 1000 tournament. In the other semi-final, China's world No. 6 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang face Indonesia's scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto.
The Star
05-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Aaron-Wooi Yik miss out on taking world No. 1 spot but can walk tall
PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik may have missed their chance to claim the world number one spot this week at the Indonesian Open, but they can still take pride in what they have achieved over the past three weeks. The world No. 3 Aaron-Wooi Yik went down 13-21, 21-19, 18-21 to Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard of Denmark in the first round on Wednesday in Jakarta. After a successful three weeks where they started by winning the Thailand Open, finishing second at the Malaysian Masters and bagging the Singapore Open, this time at the Istora Senayan, the Malaysians simply had nothing left in the tank. Aaron-Wooi Yik were in contention to become world number one, provided they won the Indonesian Open, as the points gap among the top three men's doubles pairs is extremely tight. Current world number one Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin have 91,090 points, followed closely by Denmark's Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen with 90,411 points, while Aaron-Wooi Yik sit third with 89,870 points. The 27-year-old Wooi Yik took the defeat in his stride. "To be honest, physically it wasn't great for us, but we kept trying mentally," said Wooi Yik. "We didn't give up, we just fought for every point. This is the game, and we have to admit the Danes played better than us today (Wednesday). "They were fresher, physically stronger. But it's okay, we'll try again and we'll fight back." Although Aaron-Wooi Yik did not become the world number one pair, they have shown great performance during the past four weeks. They had played 16 matches in four different tournaments over a span of just four weeks and winning two out of it, is praise worthy. Aaron-Wooi Yik said they were motivated to win titles that had been difficult to achieve than to focus solely on reaching the top spot in the rankings. Added Aaron: "I think there's still room for improvement." "It's time for us to go back, get some rest, then return to training and prepare for the next tournament," said Aaron.
Free Malaysia Today
04-06-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Aaron-Wooi Yik in shock 1st round exit at Indonesia Open
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will have to wait for a fourth title in a year after their defeat in Jakarta today. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Reigning Asian men's doubles champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik were shown the exit at the Indonesia Open after suffering a shock first round defeat at the hands of Danish pair Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard in Jakarta today. The world No 3 shuttlers lost in three games to the 16th ranked pair 13-21, 21-19, 18-21 in a match that lasted nearly an hour. They had beaten the Danish duo at the last three encounters – at the All England Open, the Malaysia Masters, and the Singapore Open. The defeat means that Aaron-Wooi Yik will have to wait for a record four titles in a year. They had won the Badminton Asia Championships in April, the Thailand Open last month and the Singapore Open last week after qualifying for four consecutive finals. Rasmus-Frederik will meet India's Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy in the second round tomorrow.
