NATIONAL men’s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi attributed Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik’s loss in the 2025 China Open final to a flawed game plan. The Malaysian pair fell 15-21, 14-21 to Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou.
Herry acknowledged that Fajar-Muhammad Shohibul executed a superior strategy, particularly their aggressive “no-lift” play, which pressured Aaron-Wooi Yik from the start. “We used the wrong strategy in the first game and struggled to recover. Their attacking precision was outstanding, with minimal errors,“ he told Bernama.
The coach also noted that strong air currents in the venue may have disrupted the Malaysians’ rhythm. This defeat extends Aaron-Wooi Yik’s streak of six consecutive Super 1000 final losses, including the All England (2019, 2024), Thailand Open (2020), China Open (2023), and Indonesia Open (2023).
Fajar-Muhammad Shohibul claimed the USD 148,000 (RM 625,000) prize, while Aaron-Wooi Yik earned USD 70,000 (RM 296,000) as runners-up. – Bernama
