KUALA LUMPUR – Sustaining an injury on the badminton court during the pinnacle moments of major tournaments is a nightmare scenario that no shuttler envisions or anticipates.
Unfortunately, during yesterday’s Super 750 India Open semi-final, Malaysia’s world number four men’s doubles shuttler, Aaron Chia, faced an unexpected setback on the court.
Battling against India’s formidable world number two pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, Aaron found himself caught off guard when a fierce smash from Shetty accidentally struck his left eye.
The unfortunate incident occurred during the second set, when the score stood at 13-13.
A momentary pause ensued as Shetty, visibly remorseful, expressed concern, and the umpire promptly inquired about Aaron’s well-being asking, “Are you okay?”
Undeterred, the 26-year-old shuttler from Melaka displayed remarkable resilience, opting to continue the match alongside his partner, Soh Wooi Yik.
Despite their efforts, the former world champions succumbed to the Indian pair, who secured victory in straight sets, 21-18, 21-14, within 45 minutes at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi.
In a post-match interview with BWF, Aaron maintained a positive outlook, refusing to cite the unfortunate incident as an excuse for their failure to progress to the final round.
“I think everything is okay. It’s (my eye) not totally affected but kind of, only some part of it,” he said.
“I think we started quite well during the first set, and it’s because during the second we (lost a bit of control) our side, so we were at a disadvantage against them.”
The defeat cleared the path for Rankireddy-Shetty to advance to the final, where they are set to face off against South Korea’s world number three pair, Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae, later today. – January 21, 2024