KUALA LUMPUR – National men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals of the Badminton World Federation’s World Tour Finals are all but over.
The world number three Malaysians faced off against the world number eight pair, Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi of China, at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre today.
In a tight match, the Chinese pair were able to take the win in three sets: 19-21, 21-18, 22-20.
The Malaysians started strong, winning the first set and building a big lead in the second, only for the Chinese pair to catch up and force a third game.
In the third set, both pairs were tied at 20-20 before Liu-Ou won the next two points to win the match.
This is their second win in Group A after pulling off a shock result against compatriots and the world number one pair, Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang, yesterday.
Aaron and Wooi Yik opened their campaign with a 16-21, 21-14, 18-21 defeat to Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi yesterday.
The former world champions need to win against Liang-Wang tomorrow and hope other results go their way to escape the group stages of the Tour Finals in their fourth attempt. – December 14, 2023