PETALING JAYA: With less than four weeks to go before the All-England begins, men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are eager to erase a painful memory at the prestigious event.
The two-time runners up at the world’s oldest badminton tournament suffered an early exit last year when they were knocked out in the first round despite being among the tournament favourites.
Determined not to let history repeat itself, Aaron-Wooi Yik are hoping for a better showing when they head to Birmingham later this month.
However, they are also fully aware that competition in the men’s doubles is fiercer than ever, as no opponents can be taken lightly, even in the opening round.
“The chance to win is definitely there because the men’s doubles field is very open now. Before the All-England, we will have a warm-up tournament at the German Open first.
“I feel the All-England is always tough every year. It is not easy to set targets or ensure consistent performances in Europe because we need time to adapt,” said Aaron.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, along with the rest of the national squad, will travel to Mulheim to compete in the German Open from Feb 24-March 1.
Speaking after a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara yesterday, Aaron said he and Wooi Yik had already enjoyed sufficient rest following a disappointing Indonesian Masters campaign last week, where they exited in the first round.
As a result, Aaron said it was still too early for him to fully assess the new time clock system introduced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) at the tournament.
“I lost in the first round in Indonesia, so I did not really feel the impact of the 25 second rule. We will have to wait and see. I think we need to go through more matches first to really understand it.
“It is hard to say at this point. Maybe it will affect players who tend to delay the game. But for those who are already focused during matches, I don’t think it makes much difference,” he added.
