AARON–WOOI YIK LACKED MENTAL EDGE AGAINST KOREAN PAIR – REXY

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 (Bernama) — National men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik showed they were almost on par with South Korea’s Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae in yesterday's Malaysia Open final, but crumbled under pressure at the crucial moments, said national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky.

Rexy said Seung Jae’s intelligence in controlling the game and the Korean world No. 1 pair's mental toughness made the difference.

“In their previous meeting, Aaron-Wooi Yik won. Their level (at the Malaysia Open) was not far apart, but in terms of confidence in certain situations, the Korean pair were more experienced. For example, at 19-18 in the third game, Aaron hesitated whether to hit hard or just play a push, and in the end, the shuttle went out.

“Seung Jae was the mastermind. He was clever at neutralising situations. Even though Won Ho was put under pressure many times, Seung Jae managed to calm things down, and he made far fewer mistakes compared to Won Ho,” he told reporters yesterday at the Axiata Arena.

Aaron–Wooi Yik lost 15-21, 21-12, 18-21 in the 66-minute match, thereby extending the country’s 12-year title drought in the men’s doubles event at the prestigious tournament.

Rexy also said the Malaysians were inconsistent in the first game, but overall, they played according to plan.

“Our plan was to stop the Korean pair from dominating the front court, but that did not work in the first game. It only worked in the second.

“The third game saw an early deficit of 11-4 that was difficult to narrow as the Koreans controlled the game and forced Aaron-Wooi Yik to play more from the back court,” he said.

Asked about Malaysia having only one representative in the Super 1000 final, Rexy said comparisons should not be made as each pair has different levels and strengths.

“Aaron and Wooi Yik’s level of experience in handling situations is still far above pairs such as Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who sometimes still lack confidence.

“Having many pairs does not mean we can automatically go far, especially in a Super 1000 tournament where all the top 10 players are competing,” he said.

Meanwhile, national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi believes that Aaron-Wooi Yik’s performance at the Malaysia Open was among their best, and they were unlucky not to lift the title.

“I think they were consistent. For me, this was among their best performances, apart from the Asia Open where they became champions. At the Malaysia Open, they were close to returning to their original form.

"Perhaps this time they just did not have the luck or the fortune to be crowned champions in Malaysia,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that facing the South Koreans was not easy, describing them as tough to beat.

“We have to earn points against them and can't rely on them making mistakes. The Korean pair is really a class above. We need to stay calmer to win points against them,” he said.

Herry said the other Malaysian pairs like Wei Chong-Kai Wun, Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal and Wan Arif-Yap Roy King need more time and training to catch up with Aaron-Wooi Yik.

— BERNAMA