Aaron-Wooi Yik click again to march into third round of worlds, Justin bows out
Malaysian badminton pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik successfully reunited for the World Championships in New Delhi, advancing to the third round despite a challenging opening match. The pair is treating this tournament as a final 'refresh' before moving on to new partners.
Why it matters
The story highlights the high-pressure nature of professional badminton and the strategic, often disruptive, practice of rotating partners in international competition.
PETALING JAYA: After more than a month apart, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik showed they still have the touch after reuniting to reach the third round of the World Championships in New Delhi.
It was far from their best performance as Aaron-Wooi Yik dropped the opening game against Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukhphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul in their second-round clash at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Tuesday (Aug 18).
But the Malaysian pair bounced back to secure a 15-21, 21-11, 21-18 victory in 58 minutes.
Aaron admitted this year’s World Championships feels different from previous editions, with both players knowing this would be their last tournament together after being given new partners.
"Maybe it’s something different that we’ve never tried before, changing partners before the World Championships," said Aaron in a post-match interview with the BWF.
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