KUALA LUMPUR — National men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik fell short in the final of the 2025 China Open Badminton Championships due to a flawed game plan, said head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
The Malaysian pair were outplayed 15-21, 14-21 by Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the Super 1000 final held at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou.
Herry said early strategic missteps allowed the Indonesian duo to take control from the outset.
“We have to admit that Fajar and Shohibul had the better strategy. We adopted the wrong approach in the first game and fell behind quickly,” he told Bernama.
“Their ‘no-lift’ game — driving the shuttle flat and fast — was highly effective in the opening game. Their attacking play was excellent, and they made hardly any errors.”
Herry added that a strong draught in the stadium may also have disrupted Aaron and Wooi Yik’s rhythm during the match.
The result continues a concerning trend for the 2022 world champions and two-time Olympic bronze medallists, who have now lost six consecutive Super 1000 finals — including the All England (2019, 2024), Thailand Open (2020), China Open (2023), and Indonesia Open (2023).
For their victory, Fajar and Shohibul earned USD148,000 (RM625,000), while Aaron and Wooi Yik took home USD70,000 (RM296,000) as runners-up. — July 28, 2025