RISING stars Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik ended Malaysia’s 45-year chase for the elusive world title when they defeated ageing Indonesian pair Hendra Setiawan-Mohammad Ahsan in the World Championships in Tokyo today.
It was a case of youth triumphing over experience as Aaron, 25, and Wooi Yik, 27, overcame Hendra, 38, and Ahsan, 34, to score a deserving 21-19, 21-14 victory in 40 minutes.
The win came as a timely present for Malaysia which will be celebrating its 65th Merdeka Day (Independence Day) on Aug 31.
And what a sweet moment it was when the Negaraku was played for the first time as Aaron and Woon Yik stood proudly on the podium with the other medallists.
Badminton Association of Malaysia president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, who was in Tokyo with the team, felt a huge load off his shoulders.
“This is a sweet victory for Malaysia after waiting for 45 long years. We finally achieved it. I was crying with joy.
“Our boys rose to the occasion. They did what no Malaysians had done before. It is a Merdeka gift to all Malaysians.
“The victory brings a good feel factor, and we certainly cherish it,” Norza said in a phone interview.
Malaysia had never won any title in all the five categories – men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles – since the World Championships began in Malmo in Sweden in 1977.
The last time a Malaysian pair entered the final was 12 years ago when Koo Kien Kiet-Tan Boon Heong unexpectedly stormed into the final only to lose to China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng in Paris 21-18, 18-21, 21-14 in 2010.
Holding match point in today’s final at 20-14, Aaron leapt high from the baseline to send a tricky drop shot in mid-court instead of a smash, catching the Indonesians flat-footed.
So relieved was Aaron that he lay on the court knowing that the battle was over, while Wooi Yik dropped to his knees with tears of joy.
Doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky, who rushed to the court and also dropped to his knees, was embraced by the players. He finally succeeded in guiding a Malaysian pair to the world title, after his charges Kien Kiet and Boon Heong came close to winning it 12 years ago.
Former national star Datuk Rashid Sidek, in an interview over RTM, attributed Aaron-Wooi Yik’s victory to their strong defence today before launching into counter-attacks.
“In the early stages, they followed the pace of the opponents. The turning point came when they changed their strategy.
“Because of their solid defence, they began to play with confidence and score points through their counterattacks.
“Singapore and Thailand had produced world champions and Malaysia had not. My prediction that Malaysia would win it today came true.
“Hendra and Ahsan keep a low profile even though they have won world titles before. They are like an ordinary pair and that is how they focus on their matches.
“So, I hope Aaron and Wooi Yik won’t become big-headed and continue to keep a low profile to focus on future major events, like the Olympics.
“Although the world title does not carry any prize money, you cannot measure its value. You are the world champ and that is priceless,” Rashid commented on television.
Both Aaron-Wooi Yik, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists, and Hendra-Ahsan, the three-time world champions, entered the final after being pushed to three games in the semi-finals.
Aaron-Wooi Yik had a more gruelling semi-final encounter before subduing Commonwealth Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty of India 20-22, 21-18, 21-16 while Hendra-Ahsan beat their compatriots Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto 23-21, 12-21, 21-16.
Aaron-Wooi Yik generally have been struggling to win Open titles after clinching the 2019 SEA Games. They had also lost to Hendra-Ahsan in the 2019 All England.
Hendra himself is a legend, having won the world title four times – winning it for the first time with Markis Kido (2007) and thrice with Ahsan (2013, 2015, 2019).
But today, Aaron-Wooi Yik put all these statistics behind them as they focused on their all-important match.
The first game saw them trailing most of the time, and at one stage were behind at 16-19. Then, they switched gear and surprisingly scored five points in a row to win the game.
Tension was high in the second game as Wooi Yik and Aaron served into the net once each.
They, however, managed to keep pace and even led 11-9 at the breather.
From then on, Aaron-Wooi Yik appeared to hold the upper hand as Hendra-Ahsan committed errors after errors, some of which were unforced.
Supporters of the Malaysian players waved the Jalur Gemilang with delight at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium when Aaron-Wooi Yik took the second game emphatically 21-14 and the match in style.
Congratulations, Aaron and Wooi Yik!
RESULTS (All Finals):
Men’s singles: Victor Axelsen (Den) bt Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) 21-5, 21-16.
Men’s doubles: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) bt Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) 21-19, 21-14.
Women’s singles: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Chen Yu Fei (Chn) 21-12, 10-21, 21-14.
Women’s doubles: Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan (Chn) bt Kim So-yeong-Kong Hee-yong (Kor) 22-20, 21-14.
Mixed doubles: Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong (Chn) bt Yuta Watanabe-Arisa HIgashino (Jpn) 21-13, 21-16.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix from TV screen grabs