SINGAPORE, June 2 — Malaysia’s national men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik continued their impressive run this season when they won the Singapore Open yesterday.
The Malaysians came back from a set down to beat fifth seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea 15-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a 65-minute thriller at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, their third title this year following their victories at the Badminton Asia Championships in April and the Thailand Open in May.
“Their condition was very good. After the first set, I knew we needed to increase our speed. So we just pushed very hard for every point,” Wooi Yik told reporters as he credited coach Herry Iman Pierngadi for playing a major role in their recent performances, especially in refining their attacking gameplay.
“Coach really plays a very big role. He is the one with the idea of how to complete our gameplay, which was previously inconsistent. But it’s still a long journey, we still have a big mission this year, so I feel this is just the start for us, he said.
Aaron meanwhile said that their coach has been instrumental in motivating them, both in matches and training sessions.
“He’s only been with us for three months, so we’re still learning from him. I think we still need time, but overall, we’ve improved. He gives us a lot of confidence during training. He doesn’t put a lot of pressure on us. He also reminds us to be happy every day,” he said.
The duo said their next focus would be the Indonesia Open, scheduled for June 3 to 8 at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, where they are slated to take on Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard, whom they defeated in the opening round in Singapore.
The last time Malaysia won in Singapore was in 2018, through mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie, while the last Malaysian men’s doubles to win was Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari in 2008. — Bernama
