Wake-up call: Malaysia men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik need to step up if they do not want to lose their No. 1 tag.
PETALING JAYA: The honeymoon period is over for men doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
The two-time Olympic Games bronze medalists have to step up the plate to safeguard their position as the country’s No. 1 pair or else lose their status as the best in the country.
Coach Tan Bin Shen has challenged the duo to snap out of their uninspiring run to stay ahead of menacing independent pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani in the world rankings.
Aaron-Wooi Yik have struggled for fitness and form after winning bronze in the Paris Olympics in August and have dropped to No. 6 in the rankings.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin in contrast have been the best pair in the World Tour since the end of August and rose to a career high No. 8 after capturing the China, Japan and Arctic Opens.
The duo, who left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in September, now look more than capable of overtaking Aaron-Wooi Yik in the rankings and Bin Shen wants the latter to prove that they are still the country’s top pair.
“After the Olympics, Aaron-Wooi Yik have slowed down while Sze Fei-Izzuddin have been on top form,” said Bin Shen after overseeing a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
“Currently, based on form, Sze Fei-Izzuddin are the country’s best pair. Aaron-Wooi Yik performed below what I expected from them and they need to improve to remain as national No. 1.
“Wooi Yik was injured and I also understand that both want to relax a bit after the Olympics but they can’t afford to rest on their laurels too much.
“On the other hand, Sze Fei-Izzuddin have been playing really well at just the right time.”
Aaron-Wooi Yik made their competitive return after two months in the Arctic Open where they went down in the second round before the defending champions lost in the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open.
The pair’s disappointing form has seen them lose ground in the race to qualify for the World Tour Finals from Dec 11-15 in Hangzhou.
Aaron-Wooi Yik are currently 12th in the Race to Hangzhou rankings and face a tough task to make the cut as only the top eight pairs at the end of all the World Tour competitions can qualify.
The duo have three tournaments left to bounce back and end their season on a high, starting with the Korean Masters from Nov 5-10 followed by the Japan (Nov 12-17) and China Masters (Nov 19-24).
Aaron-Wooi Yik need to reach the semi-finals or finals in all three tournaments to have any chance of qualifying for the Finals.
Will Bin Shen’s brutal yet frank assessment fuel the fire in Aaron-Wooi Yik to justify their status and end the year strongly?
