PETALING JAYA: It was a good day for men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (pic) when they progressed into the quarter-finals of the Korean Masters but independent duo Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong’s run came to an end.
Aaron-Wooi Yik defeated South Korea’s 2014 world champions Ko Sung-hyun-Shin Baek-cheol 21-18, 21-17 in just 32 minutes in Iksan City yesterday.
The 2022 world title winners and two-time Olympics bronze medallists will next play another home pair, Kim Jae-hyeon-Lee Sang-won for a place in the last four.
Surprisingly, Aaron-Wooi Yik have not gone as far as the semi-finals in the World Tour since finishing runners-up in the All-England in March.
The pair did make it into the last four in the Asian Championships in April and in the Paris Olympics in August but have not produced their best form in World Tour events for quite long.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are the top seeds in South Korea, are out to get it right this time.
The duo are the last Malaysians standing in the tournament after world No. 47 Hang Yee-Eng Cheong went down fighting 17-21, 21-19, 17-21 to Taiwan’s world No. 10 and second seeds Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan.
The pair, who combined last year and won the Malaysian Super 100 title a month ago, were hoping to make it into the last eight in a Super 300 tourney for the first time but could not maintain their form towards the end of the match and lost out in 59 minutes.
Meanwhile, it was also the end of the road for Jacky Kok in the men’s singles after he lost 20-22, 14-21 to Japan’s Takuma Obayashi.
RESULTS
(Malaysians only)
Second round
Men’s singles: Takuma Obayashi (Jpn) bt Jacky Kok 22-20, 21-14.
Men’s doubles: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik bt Ko Sung-hyun-Shin Baek-cheol (Kor) 21-18-21-17; Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan (Tpe) bt Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong 21-17, 19-21, 21-17.
