China Open Badminton Tournament: Aaron-Wooi Yik Defeats Reigning World Champions To Advance To Finals
China’s third-ranked pair, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, will pose the final challenge for Aaron-Wooi Yik as they pursue the championship in China.
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Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, the Malaysian men’s doubles badminton pair, have advanced to the final of the China Open after upsetting the reigning world champions Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea in the semi-finals.
The Malaysians, ranked sixth globally, will face China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who defeated Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the other semi-final.
Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik lakar sejarah mara ke final Terbuka China!!Well Done Bois🔥
— ASTRO ARENA (@ASTROARENA) September 9, 2023
Untuk rekod kali terakhir beregu lelaki Malaysia ke final Terbuka China ialah pada 2013 💪#NadiWeekend #AstroArena pic.twitter.com/EE2hS4tDo2
Aaron-Wooi Yik have reached three Super 1000 finals since the introduction of the World Tour in 2018 but have yet to win a World Tour title.
Based on their head-to-head records, Weikeng-Wang Chang have the upper hand over Aaron-Wooi Yik, winning four out of their past five meetings, including the final of the Indian tournament.
In a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Wooi Yik expressed his team’s satisfaction with their victory: “We are feeling very good after this win.
Aaron-Wooi Yik get even with world champs for chance at first Open title
— Giarc Nibisna (@craigansibin) September 10, 2023
“We are feeling very good after this win,” said Wooi Yik in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“It was one of the best performances we’ve had.https://t.co/ThkgNoLuUP
The decline of Malaysian badminton
The news will provide much-needed hope for local badminton fans, who have expressed that Malaysia has been experiencing a drought of titles.
It is undoubtedly clear to fans in this country that the performance of national badminton players at the beginning of this year was not very impressive.
This was evident at the 2023 Malaysia Open held in January this year, where no Malaysian representative managed to advance to the finals.
Earlier this year, Bong Guang Yik, a Malaysian coach and former national player who is now based in China, made a controversial statement implying that the poor performance of Malaysian badminton players is a result of management handled by Malays.
Full story: https://t.co/q2TNZoUvCk@hannahyeoh said she strongly condemned former Malaysian badminton player Bong Guang Yik's speech as it contained racial and religious elements even though the latter had apologised. pic.twitter.com/F2mTS92Yu0
— malaysiakini.com (@malaysiakini) February 13, 2023
The conflict involving Datuk Misbun Sidek and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) also rocked the local badminton scene.
It was finally resolved in August after the national badminton governing body confirmed they had reached an amicable settlement with the country’s legend.
Previously, the services of Misbun as the Director of Individual Junior Coaching at the Malaysian Badminton Academy (ABM) were terminated early due to the national junior squad’s failure at the Asia Junior Badminton Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
READ MORE: BAM Serves An Apology To Misbun Sidek Over Contract Termination
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