KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik admitted they are currently playing their best badminton after storming into the semi-finals of the Singapore Open today.
The world No. 3 pair defeated compatriots Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun 22-20, 21-17 in the last eight, avenging their Malaysia Masters final defeat just last week.
It was their fourth straight semi-final appearance, including wins at the Asian Championships last month and the Thailand Open two weeks ago.
“I think there’s not much difference between today and the last match,” said Wooi Yik.
“We’re teammates, so we know each other very well. Today, maybe we just played better and more consistently.”
Aaron added that winning the opening game, which went down to the wire, was key to their composure in the second.
“We had three game points in the first game and luckily managed to convert one. After that, we were calmer and more relaxed in the second set,” noted Aaron.
The pair credited their recent consistency to better maturity and the arrival of new head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
“We’ve always been consistent, but this time it feels different. We’re more mature and with our new coach, this is a new journey for us,” said Wooi Yik.
Aaron agreed, saying: “Coach Herry has helped a lot with our gameplay. We’re still adapting, but it’s been good for our confidence and consistency. It’s still a work in progress.”
Aaron and Wooi Yik next face India’s top pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty — the reigning Asian Games champions — who upset world No. 1s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in straight games 21-17, 21-15.
The last time the two pairs met was at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“They had an injury recently, so we haven’t seen much of them. But it’s a different situation now. We just want to perform our best and see what happens,” explained Wooi Yik.
Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles quarter-finals, Malaysia’s top duo Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah once again fell short to China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shuxian.
After losing to the China pair in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters, the world No. 4 Malaysians suffered a 14-21, 24-22, 21-14 defeat today.
In the mixed doubles, independents Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai also came agonisingly close to winning but eventually succumbed 19-21, 22-20, 21-17 to Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.
In the men’s singles quarter-finals, Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao lost 21-13, 21-11 to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, in what was a repeat of the 2017 World Junior Championships final. — May 30, 2025