KUALA LUMPUR – While several Malaysian players have made waves by upsetting some of the world’s top competitors at the ongoing Indonesia Open, the national squad also face disappointment as key players exit the tournament prematurely.
In the latest setback, Malaysia’s number one men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik were ousted by Chinese Taipei duo Lu Ching-yao and Yang Po-han, in the second round today.
Despite being seeded fifth, Aaron and Wooi Yik struggled on the court and ultimately conceded defeat with a scoreline of 16-21, 14-21 after a 38-minute battle.
This early exit is concerning as it marks their final tournament appearance before heading to Paris next month for the Olympic Games.
“I think our condition is not well, so we need to focus back on our training. Plus our opponents played very well today.
“We need to address our real problems on the court and regain our confidence and best gameplay during training.
“We’re done with all the tournaments, and now it’s time to focus on training at the training camp for Olympic preparation,” said Wooi Yik told the Badminton World Federation in a post-match interview.
At the same time, Wooi Yik denied that their focus had already shifted entirely to Paris, leading to the poor performance in Jakarta.
He emphasised that they are fully committed to addressing their on-court issues and regaining confidence during training sessions.
With only about 50 days left until the Games, Aaron and Wooi Yik are determined to rectify their performance and replicate their bronze medal success from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“I’m not sure for us, I think we just need to polish our game. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well, so we need to go back and train again,” added Wooi Yik. — June 6, 2024