A real struggle: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in action against India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the Group B match. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Like a lingering curse, the World Tour Finals remain the one tournament that continues to haunt men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
Despite having collected various medals and titles on the world stage, Aaron-Wooi Yik have still been unable to make it past the group stage of the prestigious season-ending event.
Their 21-17, 18-21, 15-21 defeat to India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Friday in their Group B match ensured that the former 2022 world champions once again missed out on a place in the semi-finals.
Going into the match, Aaron and Wooi Yik only needed a straight game victory over the Indian pair, but the match went the distance before they fell.
The loss left the Malaysians third in Group B with just one point, while Rankireddy and Chirag advanced to the semi-finals as group winners with three points, alongside Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang of China.
“I don’t think so (feeling the pressure to win). We tried to stay composed on court and it couldn’t be an easy match for us,” said Aaron.
“We tried to find some points and play more aggressively today.
“But maybe in the second game, it was much more crucial for us. It was quite tight from there.
“I learned a lot from that match, and we just tried our best,” added Wooi Yik.
Despite knowing how tough it has been to reach the semi-finals after six attempts since 2019, Aaron and Wooi Yik remained proud of their efforts throughout the three group-stage matches this year.
“We still struggle to get out of the group, but I think we are slowly getting better. This is our last tournament this year, and after two weeks, we’re heading back to Malaysia for the Malaysian Open (Jan 7-12),” said Aaron.
Another men’s doubles pair, Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, suffered the same fate, bowing out of Group A after losing to Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae of South Korea 23-25, 21-14, 19-21.
This defeat also brought an end to their calendar year, giving them roughly three weeks before the new season begins.
