PETALING JAYA: Despite missing out on a second world title, men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi was still pleased with Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik’s run to the final.
Aaron-Wooi Yik went down 17-21, 16-21 in 35 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium as China’s Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang claimed their first world title on Sunday.
The victory also ended China’s eight-year wait for the men’s doubles crown since Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen won in Nanjing in 2018.
The Malaysians earlier had beaten the world No. 1 Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae of South Korea 21-17, 21-18 in the semi-finals.
Herry said it was an encouraging result considering the pair had only a short time to train together before the world meet after being split two months earlier to play with new partners.
“Reaching the final was already a very good achievement because the competition in men’s doubles is very tight at the world level,” he said.
“We always see different pairs winning, so there is no one pair dominating.
“Four or five months ago, the Koreans were dominating, but not anymore.
“So for Aaron-Wooi Yik to reach the final was a very good result,” added Herry.
Herry said the Chinese pair’s aggressive play, especially at the front court, made things difficult for Aaron-Wooi Yik, who were unable to repeat the performance that saw them beat defending champions Won-ho-Seung-jae.
“It was a final and everyone wanted a good result, but Aaron-Wooi Yik could not repeat their semi-final performance.
“Their level dropped a little and they made too many mistakes,” said Herry.
“The Chinese pair were also more confident, especially at the front court, and that put Aaron-Wooi Yik under more pressure compared to the match against the Koreans.”
