Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik win men’s doubles World Championship
The Malaysian pair outclassed neighbors Indonesians Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, 21-19, 21-14, in the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2022 men’s doubles final.
Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik achieved history as they became first Malaysians to ever win an event at the BWF World Championships.
Read other BWF World Championships results here.
2022 has been quite decent for the Malaysian duo, as they finally stood on top of the podium after finishing third in the most recent Commonwealth Games.
This was an amazing achievement, as they did it against formidable opponents – Indonesia’s multiple-time World Champions Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan. Chia and Soh produced a superb switch in tactics to subdue the third seeds, 21-19, 21-14, in 40 minutes.
Down, 12-18, in the first game, Chia and Soh made a tactical change to bypass the net play, where the Indonesians were dominating.
The adjustment in strategy worked and they began extending the rallies towards the backcourt. It paid off immediately, as Chia and Soh won nine of the next ten points to clinch the first game.
The Malaysian world number six duo kept up their intensity in the second game, as the veteran Indonesians began to tire.
Upon clinching the final point, Chia and Soh roared and fell to their knees, delirious with joy after finally breaking their country’s duck at the World Championships.
The victors prevented Setiawan from a record-setting fifth World Championship in men’s doubles.