4th title beckons but tough road awaits Aaron-Wooi Yik in Jakarta
World No 3 men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik credit their recent successes to their new coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi. (Instagram pic)
PETALING JAYA : A breath of fresh air seems to have permeated the Malaysian badminton scene recently, thanks to some superb performances by the men's doubles pairs.
At the forefront of this is world No 3 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who have already created a personal record of winning three titles in a year – the Badminton Asia Championships in April, the Thailand Open in May, and the Singapore Open on Sunday.
Hot on their heels and showing lots of promise are world No 7 pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who have won two titles this year – the Indonesian Masters in January, and the Malaysia Masters last month, where they defeated Aaron-Wooi Yik in the final.
As for world No 2 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, there have been some disappointments this season after they won the India Open in January. They were eliminated in the early rounds in most of the other tournaments.
They had done well before this, winning three titles in 2023, and another three last year.
At the centre of these improved performances appears to be the new Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) doubles coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi, who had engineered Indonesia's success in the men's doubles pairs previously.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were quick to credit their recent successes to their new coach, also known as the 'Fire Dragon' back home, saying he had polished their game leading to their consistent performances.
The question in the minds of Malaysian badminton fans is whether the duo, who are currently in top form, can go on to make it four titles in a year by winning the Indonesia Open, which starts today.
Tough draw and venue
While their current form and a great coach can work in their favour, the Indonesia Open's draw is expected to present them with some of their biggest obstacles.
Drawn in the top half of the World Tour 1000 series, the Malaysians are likely to face three strong pairs before they even reach the semi-finals.
In their opening tie, Aaron-Wooi Yik will have to face Denmark's world No 16 pair Frederik Sogaard-Rasmus Kjaer, whom they defeated 21-19, 24-22 at the Malaysia Masters.
En route to the semi-finals, they could meet former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan, and India's Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
Aaron-Wooi Yik could also face compatriots Wei Chong-Kai Wun and home pair Leo Rolly Carmando-Bagus Maulana.
Former national player and coach James Selvaraj pointed out that Aaron-Wooi Yik have beaten these pairs several times, and that devising the right strategies with their coach would be key.
While the Indonesia Open's venue – the Istora Stadium in Jakarta – has been known to be especially unfriendly to Malaysian players, Selvaraj said Aaron-Wooi Yik have grown in mental strength in recent tournaments, even making comebacks from the brink of defeat.
'Many Malaysian players seemed to have lacked this in the past but this quality is now being displayed by Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun.
'This augurs well for a possible fourth title in a year for Aaron-Wooi Yik,' he told FMT.
Selvaraj added that overall consistency, which was lacking in the past, seems to be showing in these two pairs. 'Let's root for them to do it again.'
At last year's Indonesia Open, Aaron-Wooi Yik were knocked out in the second round, while Wei Chong-Kai Wun were runners-up.
The Indonesian Open offers total prize money of US$1.45 million. In the doubles events, the champions will pocket US$107,000 while the runners-up take home US$50,750.
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