PETALING JAYA: World No. 2 men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia (pic) believes it is not impossible to produce another all-Malaysian final at the Malaysian Masters, starting today at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Despite the absence of defending champions Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun due to Wei Chong’s injury, Aaron believes the other Malaysian pairs are capable of stepping up to carry the challenge.
Malaysia will field 10 pairs this year, including professional pair Goh V Shem and South Korea’s Choi Sol-gyu.
Out of that total, four pairs, including Aaron and his partner Soh Wooi Yik, are from the national squad.
Meanwhile, two other pairs, Mohd Faiq Masnawi-Lok Hong Quan and Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong, will begin their campaigns in the qualifying rounds.
Aaron believes the large number of Malaysian pairs increases the chances of seeing local representatives reach the final again, and he does not rule out the possibility of another all- Malaysian showdown.
“Yes, I think it’s possible. We have three pairs from BAM, and overall Malaysia also have many pairs competing. So I think an all Malaysian-final is possible, and the chances are quite high,” said Aaron.
However, Aaron-Wooi Yik admitted that reaching the final again would not be easy, although they believe home support could once again work in their favour at the tournament.
Aaron-Wooi Yik will face Singapore’s Wesley Koh-Junsuke Kubo in the first round. Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing will take on Taiwan’s Lai Po-yu-Tsai Fu-cheng while Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King will face another Taiwanese pair, He Zhi-wei-Huang Jui-hsuan.
“I think we need to take it step by step. We had a good result here last year, so we just want to maintain the momentum. Whatever we have done well this year, we want to continue it,” said Wooi Yik.
Last year, Aaron-Wooi Yik reached the Malaysian Masters final but lost 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 to Wei Chong-Kai Wun.
