KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Top national men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are determined to put a smile on the faces of local fans by advancing to the final of the 2024 Malaysia Open, which will be held at the Axiata Arena from Jan 9-14.

Aaron, 26, hopes they will be able to do better than their semi-final exit at the hands of Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi in the 2022 edition and second-round exit last year after going down to China’s Liu Yu Chen-Ou Xuan Yi.

“This time we are not stressed but more excited because it’s been a long time since we played in Malaysia (since the Malaysia Masters last May). Hopefully, we can perform better this time and (reach) at least the final...

“Whenever we compete in Malaysia, I feel more determined because of the solid support from the home fans. We hope the fans will turn up in droves from the opening round until the finals,” Aaron said at a media conference ahead of the World Tour Super 1000 championships here today.

Aaron-Wooi Yik, the 2022 world champions, are seeded third in the Malaysia Open and will open their campaign against the unseeded Danish pair of Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard in the opening round.

Aaron and Wooi Yik, who ended their long wait for a Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour title at the Denmark Open in October, also hope to win the upcoming tournaments to further boost their confidence ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics from July 26.

Meanwhile, national men’s doubles coach Tan Bin Shen said that since their opponents have managed to read the pair’s game, especially at the Asian Games, he has helped them change their strategy and playing style, which brought them success at the Denmark Open.

“After that change, we saw that their opponents too tweaked their game plans. I feel that this is all part of the process, we must also do our homework (before any tournaments). Everyone wants to win... we must be 100 per cent mentally and physically.

“When we have a tough game, if we hold back, that is the moment we hand the advantage over to our opponents. Our psychology will be affected and they can stage a comeback. Communication between players and coaches is important. The moment I see a player slowing down, I must take control and get him going again,” he said.

He said Aaron-Wooi Yik have two targets this year - gunning for the Olympic gold and top spot in the world ranking.

Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are now ranked fourth in the world, won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2023 World Championships. — Bernama