Gruelling battle: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in action against Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard. — AP
KUALA LUMPUR: National coaching director Rexy Mainaky has dismissed concerns that Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik’s first-round exit at the All-England on Wednesday was due to an injury.
The Indonesian insisted it had more to do with the duo being rattled by some controversial umpiring decisions.
There were initial worries over Aaron’s right arm injury, which had contributed to their early exit at the Orleans Masters in France last week.
However, Rexy pointed out that the real issue was the series of service faults called against them while their Danish opponents, Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard, were not penalised for similar infractions.
The controversial calls unsettled Aaron and Wooi Yik as they fell 16-21, 21-16, 18-21 in a 64-minute battle.
“Aaron-Wooi Yik started the first set too static and passive, allowing the Danish pair to play freely and gain confidence. In terms of movement, they were too slow and simply waited,” said Rexy.
“They improved in the second set, but in the third, I’m not making excuses ... if you count, there were around 10 service faults called against them, which affected their emotions and focus.
“At the same time, not a single fault was called on the Danish pair, even though some of their flick serves looked questionable.’’
For Kjaer-Sogaard, defeating the 2022 world champions was a satisfying achievement, especially after their loss to Aaron-Wooi Yik at last year’s Malaysian Open.
They also believed that the conditions at Utilita Arena in Birmingham worked in their favour, with slower air draughts giving them an advantage. Additionally, their tactic of using long serves proved effective despite drawing criticism from Malaysian fans.
“Yeah, I think that was a bit of a tactic. They are really strong on the short serves, so opening up the court and starting the rally from behind was one of the strategies,” said Sogaard.
Kjaer said: “We played them for the first time in Malaysia where there was a lot more wind, and it was very difficult. That is basically why we lost that match. Yeah, we tried to get the rallies going, and when we succeeded in that, we felt like we had a good chance.’’
Sogaard-Kjaer’s victory also served as a consolation for the Danish camp after top seeds Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen were knocked out by Indonesia’s Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Daniel Marthin, losing 20-22, 18-21.
In the second round, Kjaer and Sogaard will face Taiwan’s Liu Kuang-heng and Yang Po-han.
Meanwhile, also making an early exit were national duo Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin, who fell to England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy, losing 18-21, 19-21. The home pair have been benefiting from the guidance of former 2007 All England champion Koo Kien Keat.
The defeat mirrored their disappointment from last year’s edition, where Ee Yi-Yew Sin were also knocked out in the first round by China’s Ou Xuanyi-Liu Yuchen.
“I think they did well, especially in the final moments but I also made some mistakes at crucial points,” said Ee Yi, who was a little emotional after the match.
“Maybe I put too much pressure on myself, or maybe we were too focused on going for the smash. But overall, we need to discuss this match with our coaches.’’
