BANGKOK: National men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik powered into the second round of the Thailand Open 2025 after defeating France’s Julien Maio and William Villeger today.
The reigning Asian men’s doubles champions needed over an hour to secure a hard-fought 22-24, 21-19, 21-15 victory.
Aaron acknowledged that playing after midnight had affected their performance, particularly in the opening game, but they managed to recover in the subsequent games.
“We are happy that we managed to make a comeback and advance to the next round,” he told Bernama at the Nimibutr Stadium today.
Soh added that they are still adapting to their new coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi, and his tactical approach.
“This is only our second or third tournament under coach Herry, and we hope to perform well and deliver results,” he said.
Aaron-Soh are expected to face the winners of the match between Taiwan’s Lu Ming Che-Tang Kai Wei and Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita, scheduled later.
Meanwhile, in an earlier match, Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King advanced to the second round after overcoming India’s Pruthvi Krishnamurthy and Sai Pratheek in a gruelling encounter, winning 22-20, 17-21, 21-18 in over an hour.
Wan Arif admitted that nerves affected their performance, leading to a subpar display.
“Our defence was poor, our shots lacked quality, and we committed too many unforced errors. If we can progress further, I hope we can play better in the upcoming matches,” he said.
Wan Arif also revealed that he and his partner have set a target of reaching at least the quarter-finals in this tournament.
Wan Arif and Yap will next face compatriots Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai, who defeated Thailand’s Pharanyu Kaosamaang and Tanadon Punpanich 12-21, 21-13, 21-15 in 58 minutes.
Other results
Men’s Singles:
Weng Hong Yang (CHN) bt Ng Tze Yong 21-13, 21-17
Tharun Mannepalli (IND) bt Justin Hoh 21-19, 21-16
Men’s Doubles:
[6] Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King bt Pruthvi Krishnamurthy-Sai Pratheek (IND) 22-20, 17-21, 21-18
Jin Yong-Na Sung Seung (KOR) bt Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong 21-16, 15-21, 21-16
Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai bt Pharanyu Kaosamaang-Tanadon Punpanich (THA) 12-21, 21-13, 21-15
Man Wei Chong-Kai Wun Tee bt Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal 21-10, 21-11
Women’s Singles:
[2] Chen Yu Fei (CHN) bt Goh Jin Wei 21-6, 21-9.
Women’s Doubles:
[8] Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing bt Chen Su Yu-Hsieh Yi En (TPE) 21-15, 18-21, 21-15
