KUALA LUMPUR — With titles coming thick and fast, expectations have never been higher for Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
But as the top national men’s doubles pair prepare for the Malaysia Masters this week, they stress that fan expectations and player management are two very different things.
“Of course it’s normal for fans to expect us to perform,” said Aaron after arriving in Kuala Lumpur just after midnight on Monday, fresh from winning the Thailand Open.
“We also expect the best from ourselves — but more importantly, we have to enjoy the game. That’s the only way we can perform well. Winning or losing is part of the game,” he added.
The former world champions will have only a brief window to recover before beginning their Malaysia Masters campaign on Wednesday, but they were still keen to test the courts at Axiata Arena earlier today.
“We had already planned to come for court testing, even though we arrived late,” said Aaron.
“Physically, sleep wasn’t enough, but we’ll rest today and again tomorrow. There’s still time to recover.”
Wooi Yik added: “We came today just to get a feel of the court, since the tournament starts tomorrow. It feels great to be back, and we hope to put on a good show on Wednesday.”
Their decision to turn up early, despite a packed schedule, reflects their seriousness under new men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
Since taking over, the Indonesian — known as ‘The Fire Dragon’ — has helped the duo claim the Asian Championships last month, followed by the Thailand Open title on Sunday.
“Coach Herry has given us a lot of input in terms of strategy and game play,” said Aaron.
“His style is more focused on attack and avoiding lifting. We’re still adapting, but we’re happy with the direction.”
Wooi Yik echoed that sentiment: “It’s not easy to perform back-to-back, but we want to try, learn and implement what we’ve worked on with Coach Herry. This is a new environment for us, and we want to treat every tournament seriously — not just aim to win, but to grow our game.”
Looking ahead to their first-round match against Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin, the pair acknowledged the tough challenge ahead but remained optimistic.
“We’ve played our opponents before, and it’s 1-1 head-to-head. It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll do our best,” said Aaron
“In men’s doubles, everything is 50-50. But with the home crowd behind us, we’ve got extra motivation. We won’t overthink things. There are many good pairs out there — but we believe in ourselves,” added Wooi Yik.
The pair also noted that the shuttle speed at Axiata Arena felt fast, with wind conditions likely to play a factor.
“We’ve played here before, but it’s definitely windy. That could change during the tournament, so we’ll adapt as we go,” noted Wooi Yik. — May 19, 2025