PETALING JAYA: Playing against familiar faces can sometimes be more complicated than facing an unknown opponent.
That was the case for Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who admitted they had to prepare carefully for their Denmark Open second round clash against national teammates Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King yesterday at JSF Bank Arena in Odense.
Aaron-Wooi Yik eventually won 21-18, 21-11 in 33 minutes to reach the quarter-finals, but the scoreline did not fully reflect how competitive the match was, particularly in the opening game.
Aaron said Tai-Roy King’s title-winning run at the Arctic Open in Finland last week meant they knew they could not afford to take the younger pair lightly.
“I think we prepared well for both of them and they gave us a good fight in the first game.
“In the second game, maybe we managed to take away some of their rhythm.
“They just won a title last week in Finland, so maybe they were looking for a second one, but unfortunately for them, we had more energy and better rhythm on court,” said Aaron in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Wooi Yik, meanwhile, knew there was little room for error against a pair they were so familiar with.
“I think it was not an easy match because we know each other very well.
“We knew they were capable of beating us, so we had to be very aware of that.
“Tactically, I think we did quite well, especially in the second game when we managed to break their rhythm,” said Wooi Yik.
The win showed Aaron-Wooi Yik remain the national squad’s top men’s doubles pair and justified their decision to reunite.
For Tai-Roy King, however, it was another painful defeat as they were still unable to get the better of their more experienced teammates.
Tai had previously lost to Aaron-Wooi Yik while partnering Kang Khai Xing at the Indian Open in January, while Roy King and former partner Wan Arif Wan Junaidi also failed to beat them in all four of their meetings, including at the All-England and Indonesian Open this year.
Aaron-Wooi Yik will continue their campaign in Odense today against Japan’s Hiroki Okamura-Kyohei Yamashita.
Tai-Roy King, meanwhile, will turn their attention to the French Open in Paris starting on Tuesday.
