Hard path: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will open their campaign in the second round against either Scotland’s Christopher Grimley-Mathew Grimley or Spain’s Daniel Franco-Rodrigo Sanjurjo in the World Championships.
PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik may need to overcome familiar rivals to keep their gold medal hopes alive in the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are eyeing their second world title after their triumph in 2022 in Tokyo, will likely face either China’s Paris Olympics silver medallists Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang or India’s Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the quarter-finals.
Weikeng-Wang Chang ended the world No. 2 pair’s hopes of winning gold in the Olympics when they beat them in the semi-finals in August last year at the same venue as the world meet this time – the Adidas Arena in Port de la Chapelle.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were also denied by Satwiksairaj-Chirag in the last four of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The Malaysians will need to be at their best to come out on top this time.
Before that, Aaron-Wooi Yik, who have received a bye in the first round, will open their campaign in the second round against either Scotland’s Christopher Grimley-Mathew Grimley or Spain’s Daniel Franco-Rodrigo Sanjurjo.
A win could see Aaron-Wooi Yik play teammates and debutants Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi in the third round.
Roy King-Arif though need to overcome tricky pairs Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura from Japan and Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Kittinupong Kedren in the first and second rounds respectively if they hope to meet Aaron-Wooi Yik.
Meanwhile, world No. 3 independent pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who received a bye in the first round, will play the winners of the match between Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Americans Chen Zhi-yi-Presley Smith in the second round.
Another Malaysian representative, world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, will likely face Popov brothers Christo and Toma Junior from France in the second round.
In the women’s doubles, world No. 2 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s first big test will likely come in the third round against Indonesia’s Siti Fadia Ramadhanti-Lanny Tria.
Another women’s doubles duo Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee will likely meet Bulgarian sisters Stefani Stoeva-Gabriela Stoeva in the second round.
In the mixed doubles, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin could clash in the third round while rising Indonesian pair Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu will likely stand in national No. 1 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei’s way to the last eight.
