Singapore: The reigning men’s doubles world champions from Malaysia Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik made it to the men’s doubles semi-finals of the Singapore Open on Friday after they battled fiercely in a three-game match to defeat Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin, the defending champions 18-21, 21-16, 22-20 on Friday.
Highlights of Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik vs. Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin in 2023 Singapore Open quarter-finals:
The win also gave Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik a successful revenge for their defeat against Carnando/Marthin in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Masters two weeks ago and the Malaysian pair now earned a 6-2 head-to-head record over the Indonesians.
In the first set, Chia/Soh were neck and neck with their opponents throughout the game. They held a slight lead of 16-14 in the latter half of the game but made several mistakes, allowing their opponents to score 6 consecutive points and take the lead at 20-16. Although Chia/Soh managed to save two game points, they ultimately lost the game with a score of 18-21.
In the second game, the score remained close, and Chia/Soh took a slight lead of 15-11 in the middle of the game. However, the Indonesian pair fought back and leveled the score at 16-16. At this crucial moment, Chia/Soh showed great determination and scored 5 consecutive points, forcing the match into a decider.
In the deciding game, after 5-6, Chia/Soh took control with a 6-0 run to lead 11-6. Although Carnando/Marthin narrowed the gap to 17-19 and saved 3 match points to tie the score at 20-20, Chia/Soh regained the advantage with a strong attack that forced their opponents to hit the shuttlecock out of bounds to earn a 21-20 advantage. Soh then unleashed a beautiful kill shot from the back corner to secure the winning point.
This is the second time that Chia/Soh have reached the semi-finals this year, following their runner-up finish at the India Open. They will meet Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang of China in the semi-finals.
In another thrilling men’s doubles quarter-final encounter that went down to the wire, Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi were unable to secure a spot in the semi-finals after a grueling match lasting 1 hour and 29 minutes.
Highlights of Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi vs. Choi Sol Gyu/Kim Won Ho in 2023 Singapore Open quarter-finals:
The match between World No. 7 Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi and World No. 9, Choi Sol Gyu/Kim Won Ho was filled with so much intensity, but in the end, Ong/Teo were defeated 22-20, 24-26, and 22-24.
In the deciding game, Ong/Teo initially fell behind at 2-6, but they fought back and closed the gap to 8-9. However, Choi/Kim extended their lead by two points, and despite Ong/Teo’s relentless pursuit, they managed to equalize the score at 13-13. The match continued to be fiercely contested, with both sides reaching a tie at 22-22, but in the end, it was Choi/Kim who secured the final two points to claim victory.
After winning their match yesterday, Ong/Teo have reached the quarter-finals for the 6th time in 8 tournaments this year, demonstrating their consistency. However, with their defeat today, they were unable to advance to the semi-finals for the third time this year, following their runner-up finish at the Badminton Asia Championships and the Swiss Open.
The last time Ong/Teo won a championship was at the Thailand Open in January 2020.
In addition, this is the fourth meeting between the two pairs and their first encounter this year. Choi/Kim currently lead with 3 wins.
Earlier today, Kim Won Ho also partnered with Jeong Na Eun to eliminate China’s world number one pair Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong in the mixed doubles quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s World No. 21 mixed doubles pair – Chen Tangjie/Toh Ee Wei were made to work against the World No. 24 Hong Kong pair of Lee Chun Hei/Ng Tsz Yau in the quarter-finals before winning 21-14, 16-21, and 21-18.
Chen/Toh will fight World No. 3 Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino of Japan on Saturday.
