PETALING JAYA: World No. 2 men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik lived up to expectations by cruising into the quarter-finals of the Malaysian Masters after brushing aside France’s Julien Maio-William Villeger on Thursday (May 21).
In the second-round match at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil, Aaron-Wooi Yik had little trouble securing a 21-12, 21-10 win.
The victory also made up for their earlier defeat to Maio-Villeger, who had stunned them in the second round of the German Open in January.
“I think we played a little better today. After yesterday, we had adjusted to the wind conditions and the shuttle, so we were more composed in our game. We did not make too many unforced errors and just needed to be a bit more patient," said Wooi Yik.
“On court, we did not pay too much attention to the head-to-head record. Playing here at home with the support of our fans also made us feel more comfortable,” added Aaron.
Aaron-Wooi Yik will face China’s Hu Keyuan-Lin Xiangyi in the quarter-finals on Friday (May 22).
Also through to the last eight were former world No. 1 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who beat compatriots Chia Weijie-Teo Ee Yi 21-14, 21-12.
“I think in today’s match, we understood each other’s game quite well, so our focus was on playing our own game first and then adjusting tactically,” said Izzuddin.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will face either Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi or Taiwan’s Chen Zhi-ray-Lin Yu-chieh in the quarter-finals.
