Aaron-Wooi Yik pick up where they left off in Malaysia Masters opener
Fresh off their Thailand Open triumph, the world No. 3 overcame Taiwan's world No. 17 Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi Lin 21-18, 21-16 in a steady straight-games win to book their place in the second round.
Despite the smooth performance, Aaron admitted concerns over a short recovery period after back-to-back tournaments.
"We just finished a tournament last week, so we haven't had enough rest. But it's not really a problem," said Aaron.
"Our performance today was just okay. There's definitely room for improvement."
Next up for Aaron-Wooi Yik is another Taiwanese combination — world No. 21 Liu Kuang Heng-Yang Po Han — whom they have never played before.
Wooi Yik acknowledged the challenge of taking on unfamiliar opponents.
"It's never easy when you haven't played a pair before," he said.
"Even in Thailand, we had to battle hard against a French pair we'd never faced. You can't afford to take anyone lightly these days."
"The level in men's doubles is incredibly high right now. Every pair brings something unique. There's no such thing as an easy match anymore."
Wooi Yik credited their coach Herry IP for keeping them on track.
"We prepare as best we can and trust the game plan. We're still learning from coach Herry, and that process is ongoing."
He added that they remain a work in progress.
"We know what we want to achieve on court, but we're still far from that level. It's a gradual journey."
RESULTS
FIRST ROUND
(Malaysians unless stated)
Men's singles: H. S. Prannoy (Ind) bt Kenta Nishimoto (Jpn) 19-21, 21-17, 21-16; K. Sathish Kumar (Ind) bt Chou Tien Chen (3) (Tai) 21-13, 21-14; K. Srikanth (Ind) bt Lu Guang Zu (Chn) 23-21, 13-21, 21-11; Nhat Nguyen (Ire) bt Leong Jun Hao 10-21, 21-18, 21-9; Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) bt Justin Hoh 21-14, 22-20; Angus Ng (Hkg) bt Ng Tze Yong (Rtd).
Doubles: Aaron Tai-Khang Khai Xing bt William Kryger Boe-Christian Faust Kjaer (Den) 12-21, 21-11, 21-17; Aaron Chia-Soh Woi Yik Chiu bt Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi Lin (Tpe) 21-18, 21-16.
Women's singles: Han Qian Xi (Chn) bt K. Letshanaa 10-21, 21-19, 21-12; Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) bt Goh Jin Wei 21-7, 21-15.
Doubles: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah Fan Ka Yan-Yau Mau Ying (Hkg); Chen Yan Fei-Sun Liang Ching (Tpe) bt Ho Lo Ee-Amanda Yap 21-6, 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Ratchapol Makkasasithorn-Nattamon Laisuan (Tha) bt Too Ming Yap-Lee Yu Shan 21-9, 21-13; Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien bt Supak Jomkon-Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn (Tha) 22-20, 21-19; Mads Vestergaard-Christine Busch (Den) bt Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai 21-18, 21-19; Toh Ee Wei-Loo Bing Kun bt Lu Ming Che-Hung En Tzu (Tai) 20-22, 21-18, 21-15; Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi (Chn) bt Chen Tang Jie-Chan Wen Tse 22-20, 21-15; Ye Hong Wei-Nicole Chan (Tai) bt Jesper Toft-Amalie Magelund (Den) 21-19, 21-15.
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