KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — Men’s doubles top seeds Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia are not feeling any pressure ahead of their Malaysia Masters campaign, which begins tomorrow and runs until May 24 at Unifi Arena, Bukit Jalil, here.
Wooi Yik said the situation is very different from last year’s campaign, when they returned home with high expectations after winning two titles — the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships in April and the 2025 Thailand Open in May.
“We feel more relaxed this time around, and we will do our best,” he told reporters after a court test session for the Malaysia Masters here today.
They will face Singapore’s Wesley Koh-Kubo Junsuke in the first round of the Super 500 tournament.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were runners-up in last year’s edition after losing to compatriots Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun 12-21, 21-15, 16-21.
The Malaysia Masters offers a total prize pool of US$500,000 (RM1.98 million).
Aaron said they are also looking forward to the Singapore Open, scheduled from May 26-31, and the Indonesia Open from June 2-7.
The Singapore Open, a Super 750 event, offers a total prize pool of US$1 million (RM3.98 million), while the Indonesia Open, a Super 1000 tournament, offers US$1.45 million (RM5.78 million).
Meanwhile, national men’s doubles shuttler Wan Arif Wan Junaidi said he is ready to compete in the Malaysia Masters despite just returning to the court after suffering a meniscus tear in his right knee during the All England in Birmingham last March.
His partner Yap Roy King said their mental resilience has also improved and they are optimistic of delivering a strong performance in front of home fans.
Wan Arif-Roy King, ranked world No. 16, will begin their campaign against Taiwan’s He Zhi-Wei-Huang Jui-Hsuan. — Bernama
