KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, powered through to the second round of the India Open.
The world number four duo encountered a rollercoaster battle in the first round against Japan’s Akira Koga and Taichi Saito, winning the initial set convincingly 21-9.
However, they faced a daunting 19-13 deficit in the second set. Undeterred, they strung together six points to even the scores at 19-19.
Despite their valiant effort, they narrowly dropped the set 21-19.
Undaunted, the Malaysian pair unleashed a renewed level of aggression in the third set to clinch the match 21-9, 19-21, 21-14 at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi.
Their tenacity earned them a spot in the next round, where they are set to confront another Japanese duo, Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura.
There’s a potential quarter-final showdown with fellow Malaysians Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
However, the latter pair have a huge task ahead of them as they will have to beat world number eight pair Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi of China to make it to the quarter-final showdown in New Delhi.
Last week the teammates met in the second round of the Malaysia Open, with the former world champions defeating Sze Fei-Izzuddin to advance to the quarter-finals at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil. – January 17, 2024