PETALING JAYA: World No. 2 men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have downplayed expectations at the Malaysian Masters, saying the home tournament is not their main focus despite having a good chance of reaching the final again.
Instead, Aaron-Wooi Yik have set their sights on bigger prizes such as the World Championships, Asian Games and the World Tour Finals as they look to complete their collection of major titles.
That does not mean, however, that the pair will take things lightly when they face France’s William Villeger-Julien Maio in the second round tomorrow.
Aaron made the remarks to ease the pressure on themselves as among the favourites to lift the title on home soil, especially with Villeger-Maio having stunned them in the second round of the German Open in February.
Aaron-Wooi Yik defeat Singapore's world No. 42 Wesley Koh-Junsuke Kubo 19-21, 21-10, 21-12 in 45 minutes in the first round of the Malaysia Masters at the Unifi Arena on Tuesday.
“I don’t think it’s about chasing just any title. We’re already close to June now, and next year the Olympic cycle begins, so at our age, the focus has to be more on the major tournaments.
“We may not have won many of these other titles, but we have won some. So for us, it’s not really about chasing titles for the sake of it. Our focus is more on the big ones.
“But of course, we will still do our best. It’s not that we are taking things lightly or not serious. It’s just that our bigger focus is on the major tournaments,” said Aaron.
Aaron-Wooi Yik won bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, but the World Tour Finals has remained a stumbling block for them as they have yet to get past the group stage despite qualifying six times since 2019.
Still, the pair etched their names in history by becoming Malaysia’s first badminton world champions when they captured the title in Tokyo in 2022.
