A job well done: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik beat China’s defending champions Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang to march into the Asian Championships final.
PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are on a roll in the Asian Championships.
A day after sending Indonesia’s No. 1 pair Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto packing, Aaron-Wooi Yik pulled off another commanding win, this time over China’s top duo and defending champions Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang to march into the final.
The world No. 6 needed only 31 minutes to record an impressive 21-12, 21-14 victory over the home favourites at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in China yesterday.
It was sweet revenge for Aaron-Wooi Yik after they lost narrowly to Weikeng-Wang Chang in their last meeting in the semi-final of the Paris Olympics last August.
The win was only the 2022 world champions’ third success over the Chinese duo in their past 11 meetings.
Aaron-Wooi Yik have reached their first final this year and will take on another home pair Chen Boyang-Liu Yi in the title match today. Boyang-Liu Yi beat Indonesia’s Leo Rolly-Bagas Maulana 13-21, 21-18, 21-12 in the other semi-final.
The result is a timely boost for the national No. 2 after Aaron’s struggles with a shoulder injury that hampered the pair’s performances in Europe last month including a disappointing first-round exit in the All-England in Birmingham.
Aaron-Wooi Yik finished runners-up to Indonesia’s Pramudya Kusumawardana-Yeremia Rambitan in the Asian meet in 2022 and now have an opportunity to go one better.
National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky does not want to be too happy yet as he wants his charges to finish the job first by capturing the title.
“I don’t have much to say as the job is still not done yet,” said Rexy shortly.
Aaron-Wooi Yik will be attempting to become the first Malaysians to win the men’s doubles crown in the Asian tourney since Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah triumphed in the 2006 and 2007 editions.
RESULTS
Semi-finals
Men’s singles: Lu Guangzu (Chn) bt Li Shifeng (Chn) 19-21, 21-10, 21-14; Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Loh Kean Yew (Sin) 23-21, 21-10.
Men’s doubles: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) bt Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn) 21-12, 21-14; Chen Boyang-Liu Yi (Chn) bt Leo Rolly-Bagas Maulana (ina) 13-21, 21-18, 21-12.
Women’s singles: Han Yue (Chn) bt Gao Fangjie (Chn) 21-14, 21-16; Chen Yufei (Chn) bt Sim Yu-jin (Kor) 21-11, 21-11.
Women’s doubles: Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning (Chn) bt Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu (Chn) 21-12, 21-15; Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida (Jpn) bt Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) 21-17, 21-10.
Mixed doubles: Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet (Hkg) bt Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) 21-16, 21-17; Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito (Jpn) bt Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu (Ina) 15-21, 23-21, 21-11.
Quarter-finals
Men’s singles: Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Kenta Nishimoto (Jpn) 21-12, 13-21, 23-21; Loh Kean Yew (Sin) bt Shi Yuqi (Chn) 21-19, 13-21, 21-16.
Men’s doubles: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) bt Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto (Ina) 21-16, 21-11; Chen Boyang-Liu Yi (Chn) bt Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (Mas) 21-16, 18-21, 22-20; Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn) bt Shohibul Fikri-Daniel Marthin (Ina) 21-19, 21-19; Leo Rolly-Bagas Maulana (Ina) bt Liu Kuang-heng-Yang Po-han (Tpe) 21-16, 21-17.
Women’s singles: Chen Yufei (Chn) bt Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) 21-19, 21-13; Sim Yu-jin (Kor) bt Natsuki Nidaira (Jpn) 21-8, 21-16.
Women’s doubles: Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) bt Li Yijing-Luo Xumin (Chn) 21-12, 21-15; Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida (Jpn) bt Febriana Dwipuji-Amallia Cahaya (Ina) 21-16, 21-16.
