More cheer for Malaysia as Aaron-Wooi Yik reach quarters at Asia meet

 The defending champions beat Chinese duo Hu Ke Yan-Lin Xiang Yi in straight games after saving two game points in the first game.

Men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik beat China’s Hu Ke Yan-Lin Xiang Yi 22-20, 21-19 in 43 minutes. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Men’s doubles defending champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik were given a scare by a Chinese pair before winning their second round match at the Badminton Asia Championships today.

The world No 2 pair saved two match points in the first game before defeating 27th-ranked Hu Ke Yan-Lin Xiang Yi 22-20, 21-19 in 43 minutes to book a quarter-final berth at the Olympic Sports Centre in Ningbo, China.

This was their first encounter with the Chinese pair.

Aaron-Wooi Yik will face either South Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk-Ki Dong Ju or Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi in the quarter-final tomorrow.

The two-time Olympic bronze medallists have yet to win a title this year after competing in five BWF championships so far. They were runners-up at the All England and Malaysia Open tournaments.

Reigning mixed doubles world champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei lifted the Malaysian camp’s spirits this morning by qualifying for the quarter-finals after most national representatives were eliminated in the first and second rounds. - FMT