PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will be in uncharted waters when they take on Denmark giantkillers William Kryger-Christian Faust in the Thailand Open final today.
Kryger-Faust, who are ranked No. 75 in the world, have been the tournament’s surprise package and pulled off a sensational 21-13, 21-12 victory over Indonesia’s world No. 4 and top seeds Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok yesterday to book their spots in the final.
The Danes have now reached their first World Tour final and will be out to capture their biggest title so far when they face world No. 5 Aaron-Wooi Yik next.
Aaron-Wooi Yik defeated home favourites Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Kittinupong Kedren 21-17, 21-13 in their last four match.
The reigning Asian champions had expected to take on long-time rivals Fajar-Rian in the final but instead they will need to prepare themselves against Kryger-Faust.
The Danes have already spoilt Malaysia’s party once when they upset world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the second round.
Aaron-Wooi Yik though have a slight advantage after beating Kryger-Faust in their only previous encounter in the Indonesian Masters first round in January.
The Malaysians are also out to win their second title of the year after capturing the Asian Championships last month.
“We hope to win the title but I think the most important thing is we have to enjoy the game. Winning or losing is the second part,” Aaron told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“The semi-finals was quite an intense match for us. We were playing against the whole stadium and the pressure was there. Luckily, we slowly got back our momentum.”
Aaron-Wooi Yik have been working on their game in the front court under coach Herry Iman Pierngadi and their hard work has slowly been paying off.
Wooi Yik said: We made some changes in the front court in the first game and that helped us.
“It’s very obvious that our coach is more focused on our duels in the front court. In doubles, usually the first three shots during the service and receiving are very important and our coach has been guiding us on new strategies on this.
“We are learning new things in every match. We are still adapting to Herry’s style.”
Aaron-Wooi Yik last won a World Tour title in the Korean Masters last November.
