Aaron-Wooi Yik One Step Away From World Title

The national badminton pair, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, are just one step away from repeating their success as world champions after advancing to the final of the World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi.

The world number four pairing appeared composed and calm to eliminate the world number one pair from South Korea, Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae, 21-17, 21-18 in 43 minutes.

The victory was significant for Aaron-Wooi Yik, who had previously lost three of four meetings against the South Korean pair, including the last two encounters.

Aaron-Wooi Yik controlled the game from the start of the first set before leading 17-14 and closed it out 21-17 in 18 minutes.

The second set was more intense as both pairs traded points, but the national pair led 11-8 before the opponents levelled at 14-14 and 18-18.

Under pressure, Aaron-Wooi Yik remained calm to claim the last three points and seal the game 21-18.

Their last victory over Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae came in June last year when they emerged as champions of the Singapore Open after defeating the pair in a three-set battle.

Awaiting them in the final are the Chinese pair, Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang, who defeated Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan from Taiwan in the other semi-final.

Aaron-Wooi Yik previously made history as the first Malaysian pair to win the men’s doubles World Championships in the 2022 edition in Tokyo.

They won bronze in the 2023 edition in Copenhagen, while last year’s campaign ended in the quarter-finals after losing to the Indian pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty.

Now, Aaron-Wooi Yik need just one more victory to return to the world throne and add another significant achievement to their career.

Sinar Harian