The more the merrier: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will be the second men’s doubles pair to compete in the World Tour Finals.
KUALA LUMPUR: Men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are cautiously optimistic of their chances in the World Tour Finals from Dec 11-15 in Hangzhou in the absence of three of their bogey pairs.
This time, pairs that Aaron-Wooi Yik have struggled against in the past such as China’s world No. 1 Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang, Japan’s 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi and South Korea’s world No. 2 Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae have all not managed to qualify for the prestigious season ender.
Add into the mix India’s world No. 9 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty’s absence as well and the Malaysians’ chances of at least going past the group stage looks bright.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are currently ranked No. 5 in the world, have never reached the last four in the tournament despite also making the cut in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023 and are out to make it right this time.
In last year’s edition, the duo lost in three games to Weikeng-Wang Chang, Hoki-Kobayashi and China’s now-retired Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi which put paid to their hopes of making it into the semi-finals.
“The draw has not been released yet but we hope to at least survive the group stage,” said Aaron at a sponsorship signing event between the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and Affin Bank at Menara Affin in Tun Razak Exchange yesterday.
“There is a chance but it will still not be easy even though a few of the world’s top pairs will not be there. Men’s doubles is still very competitive. So, we will do our best.”
Aaron-Wooi Yik’s challengers in the tournament this time will be fellow Malaysians Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, China’s He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu, Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto and Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza, Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan and Lee Yang-Wang Chi-lin.
Aaron-Wooi Yik are happy to see Sze Fei-Izzuddin qualify after the former were the sole men’s doubles pair to book a spot for Malaysia in last year’s edition.
Big boost: BAM acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam (fourth from right) and Affin Bank Berhad’s president and group chief executive officer Datuk Wan Razly Abdullah (fourth from left) posing with the national shuttlers during the sponsorship ceremony at Menara Affin@TRX. — Bernama
“We have filled the maximum slots in the men’s doubles for Malaysia and I believe this is an advantage for us as our chances of doing well will be higher,” said Aaron.
“For me and Wooi Yik, it will be tricky as we have the likes of Fajar-Rian, Jiting-Xiangyu and Sze Fei-Izzuddin to contend with.”
The draw for the competition will be released on Dec 7.
For the record, the last Malaysians to capture the title were men’s doubles duo Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong, who emerged champions in 2016 when the competition was still known as the World Superseries Finals.
Meanwhile, Affin extended their sponsorship agreement with BAM for another three years.
Affin initially signed a two-year agreement as BAM’s official bank partner in 2022 and have extended from Dec 1 until end of November 2027.
Affin remains a joint title sponsor for Affin 100 Plus Junior Elite Tour, which is BAM’s flagship junior development programme.
“Affin is proud to continue supporting badminton which is a sport that embodies the passion, resilience and determination of Malaysians,” said Affin Bank Berhad’s president and group chief executive officer Datuk Wan Razly Abdullah.
“Through this partnership, Affin is committed to contributing to the nation’s sporting aspirations and fostering a culture of sportsmanship and achievement.”
