Aaron-Wooi Yik show they can deliver by beating Yew Sin-Ee Yi

PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik proved that they know how to dig deep and win when it matters.

Aaron-Wooi Yik were pushed hard by fellow countrymen Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi but showed great tenacity to prevail 19-21, 21-19, 21-11 in a pulsating men’s doubles quarter-final match at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou yesterday.

The world No. 6 were the favourites before the match as they were in better form and had beaten the latter four times in their past six meetings.

World No. 8 Yew Sin-Ee Yi though started better and looked pumped up to cause an upset.

The independent duo put Aaron-Wooi Yik under pressure with their aggressive attacks and were rewarded with a narrow win in the first game.

Aaron-Wooi Yik came out firing in the second game and should have won more comfortably after leading 18-13 but allowed Yew Sin-Ee Yi to fight back.

In the end, the former managed to hold on to win the game.

The momentum swung in Aaron-Wooi Yik’s favour and they took advantage to claim the win in the decider.

Aaron was relieved to come through the tough test.

“As I’ve said before, playing our own teammates is never easy,” said Aaron.

“So, it’s a good win for us. Now, we need to maintain our focus for the next match.”

The pair have now reached their second consecutive semi-finals after winning bronze in the World Championships in Copenhagen last month.

Aaron-Wooi Yik have an opportunity to make it into their third final of the year.

Previously, Aaron-Wooi Yik had finished runners-up in the Indian Open in January and Indonesian Open in June.

Standing in the pair’s way in the last four will be either South Korea’s recently crowned world champions Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae or Indonesia’s 2022 All-England winners Shohibul Fikri-Bagas Maulana.

Meanwhile, Yew Sin-Ee Yi can still hold their heads high after showing signs of recapturing their best form in the tournament.

Despite the defeat, it was still the duo’s best finish since reaching the semi-finals of the Taiwan Open in June.