PETALING JAYA: Former world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik came close to giving Rexy Mainaky a perfect 57th birthday gift but fell short in the All-England men's doubles final.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia's (BAM) doubles coaching director Rexy celebrates his birthday on Monday (March 9) - a day after Aaron-Wooi Yik went down fighting 21-18, 12-21, 19-21 to South Korea’s Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae in Birmingham.
In 2007, just before his 39th birthday, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong presented him with the title when they defeated China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng in the final on March 11.
While happy with Aaron-Wooi Yik's third appearance in the final, Rexy felt the Malaysians could have won if not for different reasons.
"After losing the opening game, the Koreans changed the tempo of the game. They kept the game flat, hardly lifting the shuttle but, in contrast, Aaron-Wooi Yik were not brave enough to do the same," said Rexy.
"I was relieved when they got off to a good start in the third game and were more courageous with their attacking play.
"They pushed the Koreans away from the net and had good control.
"Then, after taking a 12-7 lead, they started to make simple errors. We made one mistake at 16-15 and allowed the Koreans to pick up three straight points.
"Credit should be given to Kim-Seo for staying calm at that stage to win it."
