Too much of a stretch: Wooi Yik did not want to use his poor condition as an excuse but says that he takes full responsibility for the 12-21, 14-21 defeat to world No. 3 Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the China Open final.
PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Soh Wooi Yik’s honesty can go a long way.
Wooi Yik and partner Aaron Chia went down tamely in the China Open and the manner in which they lost has surprised many but the former revealed that he had high fever while playing in the final on Sunday.
Wooi Yik did not want to use his poor condition as an excuse but says that he takes full responsibility for the 12-21, 14-21 defeat to world No. 3 Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang that saw them let slip a good opportunity to end their wait for a first Open title.
Wooi Yik explained in his Instagram post that he started having high fever on Saturday night after the semi-final victory over world champions Seo Seung-jae-Kang Min-hyuk of South Korea.
“My sincere apologies to the Malaysians who watched our game (on Sunday). I had high fever late night yesterday (Saturday) and I was so helpless,” posted Wooi Yik on his Instagram account.
“I was wondering why God did this to me at this crucial moment.
“This was not the real Wooi Yik and not my character at all. I kept telling myself to keep trying and give my best but my condition was really bad on court.’’
Wooi Yik’s frank admission came as he did not want Aaron to be blamed for the defeat.
“I am willing to take all the blame because I feel sorry for Aaron,” he said.
“I believe God did this for a reason and I have only one thing in my mind – I will take the title one day.”
Aaron chose to stand by his partner.
“Winning the silver medal reflects our dedication and hard work,” said Aaron.
“Challenges fuel our determination to improve. Each match has taught us valuable lessons, and we are eager to grow from this.”
Aaron-Wooi Yik will be focusing on the Hong Kong Open which begins today but national coach Tan Bin Shen will take a wait-and-see approach before deciding whether they should see action.
With the Asian Games in Hangzhou starting in less than three weeks, there is a possibility that the world No. 6 may skip the Hong Kong tournament to recover and focus on their final preparation.
“We will see how is Wooi Yik’s condition in the next two days. We will decide after that,” said Bin Shen.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, if cleared, will be playing compatriots Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani in the first round tomorrow.
Independent pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi are the other pair in the main draw where they will play a tricky first-round match against Keiichiro Matsui-Yoshinori Takeuchi of Japan.
In the women’s doubles, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah have an easy first-round match against Linda Efler-Isabel Lohau of Germany while young pair Anna Cheong-Teoh Mei Xing will meet Taiwan’s Chang Ching-hui-Yang Ching-tun in their opening round.
Independent pair Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien have a tough opener against top seeds Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara of Japan.
