logo
Indonesian Scratch Pair Deny Aaron-Wooi Yik To Win 2025 China Open Title

Indonesian Scratch Pair Deny Aaron-Wooi Yik To Win 2025 China Open Title

Barnama6 days ago
KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Bernama) -- Indonesian scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri managed to defy all odds and beat national doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to win the 2025 China Open men's doubles title.
World number two pair Aaron-Wooi Yik failed to match the synergy of the Indonesian pair and trailed 1-9 before losing 15-21 in the first game of their final match at the Olympic Sports Centre Gynmasium in Changzhou, China.
Sensing a chance at victory, the Indonesians, who were put together only last week at the Japan Open, piled on the pressure in the second game, and confidently marched to a 21-14 victory against the Malaysians in 35 minutes.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Numbers mean nothing as men's doubles eye redemption in Paris
Numbers mean nothing as men's doubles eye redemption in Paris

The Star

time6 hours ago

  • The Star

Numbers mean nothing as men's doubles eye redemption in Paris

PETALING JAYA: Numbers alone won't win titles, and the doubles squad know that having four men's doubles pairs at the World Championships is no guarantee of success. Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King were the last pair to make the cut for the world meet from Aug 25-31 in Paris. They were initially second on the reserve list but earned a spot following the withdrawal of several other pairs. The world No. 24 duo will join Asian champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, as well as independent pair and former world No. 1s Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, in the prestigious meet. National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky welcomed the strong representation for the world meet, but was quick to point out that stiff competition awaits. 'Having more pairs doesn't necessarily translate to success. What's important is preparing well in order to win,' said Rexy. 'This isn't about how many pairs are going to Paris, it's about how well we train and how much we put into it. Rexy's concerns are valid, as five months ago the men's doubles camp suffered a major blow at the All-England. Malaysia had six pairs in the world's oldest tournament, with the added presence of newly-appointed Indonesian coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, but the shuttlers returned empty-handed and delivered a disappointing performance in Birmingham. Still, Rexy is hoping his players can produce better results this time around, especially Arif-Roy King, who will be making their debut at the tournament. 'My hope is that they can deliver a strong performance in their first World Championships appearance,' he added. The players now have three weeks to sharpen their gameplay before departing for Paris on Aug 21, five days after the singles shuttlers, who are scheduled to leave on Aug 16. Leong Jun Hao, K. Letshanaa, and Justin Hoh will first head to Denmark for intensive training with the Danish national squad before regrouping with the rest of the team in Paris. The tournament draw is expected to take place on Aug 13.

Pearly-Thinaah stay grounded despite world No. 2 ranking
Pearly-Thinaah stay grounded despite world No. 2 ranking

The Star

time6 hours ago

  • The Star

Pearly-Thinaah stay grounded despite world No. 2 ranking

Hoping to do better: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships in Denmark in 2023. PETALING JAYA: A world No. 2 ranking may look good on paper, but shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are not buying into the hype just yet. Instead, the women's doubles pair Pearly-Thinaah are keeping their feet on the ground, insisting that being ranked No. 2 in the world offers no real advantage heading into the World Cham­pionships in Paris from Aug 25-31. Usually, a high world ranking often comes with the benefit of a favourable draw, helping players avoid other top seeds in the early rounds. However, Pearly-Thinaah believe this offers no guarantees, as many strong pairs are still in the mix despite their career-high world ranking. Their main focus is to maintain consistent performances in every tournament and continue supporting each other, both on and off the court. 'I think for us, being world No. 2 is just a number. What matters most is keeping our game more and more consistent and always supporting each other throughout the match,' said Thinaah. 'There are also many other strong players. It's not about avoiding top opponents, at this level, everyone is on par. 'So yes, we're happy to be ranked No. 2, I won't deny that, but our main focus right now is definitely to keep improving our consistency. 'I think recently we've been doing well in supporting each other, whether we win or lose, whether we're leading or trailing. 'We're always communicating, discussing things, and finding solutions together. I believe that's the most important thing,' said Thinaah. Pearly-Thinaah made their World Championships debut in the 2021 edition in Huelva, Spain, where they only managed to reach the second round. A year later in Tokyo, they improved on that result by progressing to the third round before falling to Japan's Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida. Their best showing came in the 2023 edition in Copenhagen, Denmark, where they reached the quarter-finals before going down to China's Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu. With hopes of doing better this year, Pearly-Thinaah have been working hard to improve on their weaknesses, particularly if they are drawn to face top pairs such as world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu–Tan Ning or Shida-Matsuyama again. For the record, the Chinese pair have won nine of their 12 encounters against Pearly-Thinaah, including their most recent clash at the Japan Open finals last month. 'Their game is very aggressive and they constantly put us under pressure,' said Thinaah. 'That's something we're trying to learn from them, and we're still working on improving our weaknesses ahead of the upcoming tournaments.'

On fire Aaron-Wooi Yik smash their way into China Open final
On fire Aaron-Wooi Yik smash their way into China Open final

Free Malaysia Today

time15 hours ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

On fire Aaron-Wooi Yik smash their way into China Open final

Today's semi-final success was the 11th time that Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have triumphed over India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty over 14 encounters. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : National men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik stormed into the China Open men's doubles final and stayed on track for their first World Tour Super 1000 title after defeating an Indian pair. World No 2 pair Aaron-Wooi Yik displayed superb power and defence to overcome the nippy 12th ranked Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty 21-13, 21-17 in a semi-final match lasting 41 minutes. They will take on Indonesia's surprise package Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the final. The Indonesians are playing together for only the second time. Today's semi-final victory is the 11th time that Aaron-Wooi Yik have beaten the Indian pair in 14 encounters. The Malaysians, who are two-time Olympic bronze medallists, also set a record by being the first men's doubles pair in the world to qualify for the finals of a World Tour Super 1000 event six times. They will be making their second appearance in the China Open final after finishing as runners-up in 2023 and will be gunning for their fourth title this year after having won the Thailand Open, Singapore Open and the Badminton Asia Championships. The tournament offers a total prize money of US$2 million (RM8.4 million), with winners in the doubles events taking home US$148,000 (RM624,000) and the runners-up US$70,000 (RM295,146). The losing semi-finalists will each get US$28,000 (RM118,000).

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store