PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian-Sohibul Fikri in their Group B match at the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou on Wednesday (Dec 17).
Aaron may have lost his voice ahead of the match, but not his fighting spirit, as he and Wooi Yik showed immense resilience on court.
Despite losing the opening game, the Malaysians refused to fold, forcing the match into a decider before clinching a hard fought 22-24, 21-18, 21-19 victory.
"I think today the key point was our focus and mentality," said Wooi Yik in a post match interview with the BWF.
"Although they controlled the match for most of the time and had a big lead in the third game, Aaron and I did well to stay consistent in our defence and counter attack.
"That helped us come back, gain confidence point by point. I think that was the key today.
“There was much more emphasis on mentality and patience in this match. You don’t want to finish the rally too quickly because that can lead to unforced errors when you are too eager to close out the point.
It was a disappointing outing for fellow Malaysians Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who suffered a second straight defeat, going down 21-23, 19-21 to Indonesia’s Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi.
The loss came just five days after Wei Chong-Kai Wun were beaten by the same Indonesian pair in the semi finals of the Thailand SEA Games in Bangkok.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun will continue their Group A campaign against Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang-chieh and Wang Chi-ln on Thursday (Dec 18), while Aaron-Wooi Yik will take on Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in Group B.
