KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — National men’s doubles coach Tan Bin Shen gave a score of 7/10 to his proteges, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, regarding their overall performance at the 2024 Malaysia Open.
Bin Shen acknowledged that Aaron-Wooi Yik still made some minor mistakes in their playing style that somewhat contributed to their elimination in the quarterfinals by world champions Kang Min Hyuk-Seo Seung Jae from South Korea in 21-16, 18-21, 13-21, last night.
“The crucial 11-10 (deficit in the third set) was very important because once they started making easy mistakes, it let the opponents regain confidence,” he told reporters after the match.
The defeat suffered by the 2022 world champions saw Malaysia continue to yearn for a title on home soil after national badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei was the last local player to win one in the 2018 edition.
Professional pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi also fell at the same stage yesterday at the hands of the 2022 champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi from Japan, 15-21, 9-21, in 34 minutes.
Asked whether reaching at least the quarterfinals is enough to solidify Aaron-Wooi Yik’s position in the qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the former national player is optimistic, suggesting that the bronze medallists of Tokyo 2020 have a bright chance at the prestigious global sporting event.
Based on the Race to Paris rankings, Aaron-Wooi Yik currently emerge as the top-ranked national pair, sitting in fourth place with 83,854 points.
A country can have a maximum of two representatives in each category in the Olympic Games if both are within the top eight positions.
The Race to Paris qualification, which began last May, is scheduled to end on April 28.
The 2024 Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11. — Bernama
