Blessing in disguise: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will now fine tune their preparations ahead of the European Tour.
PETALING JAYA: National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky has dismissed claims that men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik’s shock first-round exit at the Indonesian Masters on Tuesday was due to fatigue.
Top seeds Aaron and Wooi Yik suffered their first ever defeat to Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard, going down 22-20, 19-21, 16-21 in a 63-minute match at Istora Senayan.
“It was not fatigue, they simply made too many mistakes,” said Rexy, who was present at the Istora Senayan, when contacted.
The Indonesian stressed that the national pair were fully prepared and rejected exhaustion as the reason for their defeat.
“Today (Tuesday), Aaron and Wooi Yik’s defence was not working.
“In the second and third games, they made too many mistakes, including several long lifts that went out of court.
“There was no issue of tiredness. It was just not their day, especially defensively,”
Speculation quickly surfaced after the duo’s defeat that their surprise loss could be due to the demanding schedule faced by the world champions, as they had reached the final of the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago and the semi-finals of the Indian Open in New Delhi last week.
Prior to the start of the new BWF World Tour season, the pair had also competed at the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, just days after helping Malaysia at the SEA Games in Thailand.
The setback, however, could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Aaron and Wooi Yik, as it gives them the opportunity to take a proper break and fine tune their preparations ahead of the European tour.
The tour will get under way at the German Open from Feb 24-March 1, before they head to the prestigious All-England from March 3-8.
