NATIONAL men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik ended their three-match losing streak against Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty of India to advance to the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, here today.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, the 2022 world champions, bounced back from a set down to notch a thrilling 13-21, 21-14, 21-16 victory in the men’s doubles event at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena here.
The Malaysian pair fought neck and neck in the opening set to level 10-10, but unable to answer the blistering attacks of the Asian Games gold medalist.
However, powered by loud cheers and kompang beats from Malaysian fans, the world number three pair managed to rebound in the second game to level the tie and drag the match into a decider.
After another closely contested game, the reigning bronze medalist finally emerged victorious in pursuit of their quest for the country’s maiden gold medal.
Despite winning eight of their 11 previous encounters against the Indian duo, Aaron and Wooi Yik have lost their last three meetings in straight sets at the 2023 Indonesia Open, Hangzhou Asian Games and India Open.
In the semi-finals, they will be facing top seeds Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang of China, who ousted Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian- Muhammad Rian Ardianto 24-22, 22-20 in another last eight fixture.
Speaking to Bernama after their victory, Wooi Yik said they were able to secure the win through extensive preparation to overcome the challenges posed by Satwiksairaj-Chirag.
“We prepared to handle many of their strengths, including their blistering shots, defensive play, and counter-attacks, which are very effective because they’re very tall. We did lose many points in those areas, but we never gave up and put in a lot of effort to pressure them.
“Satwiksairaj-Chirag controlled the match in the beginning and had many advantages, but we never gave up and continued to add pressure, making them nervous. We managed to steal points and got the confidence to gain ground,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aaron said they felt immense pressure entering the court after losing their last three matches.
“We had hoped this match could help us overcome this hurdle, which was crucial.
“For the next match, we need to prepare thoroughly as we lost to them in the group stage. Of course, we hope to have a better match and a different result this time, so we need to be well prepared,” he added.
Aaron-Wooi Yik finished as runners-up in Group A, losing to Wei Keng-Chang 22-24, 14-21, but secured victories over Great Britain’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy 19-21, 21-16, 21-11 on Saturday, and Canada’s Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura 21-10, 21-15 on Sunday to advance to the quarter-finals.
In Tokyo 2020, Aaron-Wooi Yik went down against Li Jun Hui-Liu Yu Chen of China in the semi-finals, before upsetting former world champions Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia for the bronze.
