KUALA LUMPUR – The national men’s doubles team of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik brushed aside their Chinese Taipei rivals, Lee Yang and Wang Chi Lin, 21-16, 21-18 at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen today.
Aaron and Wooi Yik, who are also the defending champions, needed just 43 minutes to beat the 2022 Olympic gold medalist pair in the round of 16 match and continue their quest to retain their title.
“It was a tough match against tough opponents, and we were trying our best to avoid a rubber set. We are happy to emerge victorious in this crucial match,” Wooi Yik said.
“The condition of the court was better than yesterday, but we are still trying to adjust to this environment, and we aim to perform better in our quarterfinal match tomorrow,” Aaron added.
Aaron and Wooi Yik will face China’s 2020 Olympic silver medalists, Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi, in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
In an earlier match, the national men’s doubles pair, Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, were knocked out of the tournament when they were defeated by China’s world number three pair, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, in their round of 16 match.
Despite making a comeback in the second set, the Malaysian pair was no match for their Chinese counterparts as they lost 16-21, 21-14, 17-21.
“It’s an honour for us to compete in such a reputable tournament,” Wei Chong said.
“Despite our failure to progress to the quarterfinals, we are happy with the experiences we have gained,” said Kai Wun.
At the same time, it was the end of the road for Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi when they lost 15-21, 10-21 to Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, who are ranked 11th in the world. – August 24, 2023