Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik are determined to bounce back strongly by defending their title at the Singapore Open 2026, which gets underway tomorrow.
The world No. 2 duo heads into the prestigious Super 750 tournament carrying renewed motivation following their disappointing semi-final exit at the Malaysia Masters 2026 last week.
Aaron admitted the painful defeat on home soil has fuelled their determination to return stronger in Singapore as they target another major title.
“We definitely hope to defend the championship we won last year and we came here fully prepared,” said Aaron during the pre-tournament press conference.
“At the same time, we do not want to put too much pressure on ourselves. We will focus on taking it match by match.”
Aaron-Wooi Yik will begin their title defence against French brothers Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov in what promises to be a tricky opening-round encounter on Tuesday.
Despite entering as one of the tournament favourites, the Malaysian pair are aware that the competition in Singapore will be fierce, especially with several elite Asian and European combinations eyeing the crown.
The defending champions are also preparing for a possible showdown against world No. 1 South Korean pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae later in the tournament.
Wooi Yik revealed that the Malaysians are already studying tactical adjustments ahead of any potential rematch with the Korean duo.
“We’ve played them many times already, so there are not many major differences between us,” said Wooi Yik.
“But there is one important aspect we need to improve on and hopefully we can beat them at the Singapore Open this year.”
Malaysia will once again carry strong expectations into the Singapore Open with several world-class pairs competing across multiple disciplines.
Aaron-Wooi Yik headline the national challenge as defending men’s doubles champions, while women’s doubles stars Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah arrive as serious contenders after continuing their impressive rise on the world stage.
Mixed doubles hopes will rest on world No. 3 pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, while independent men’s doubles duo Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will also look to make a deep run after reaching the Malaysia Masters final recently.
With confidence high and valuable lessons learned from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s elite shuttlers now turn their focus toward Singapore in pursuit of another successful week on the international stage.
Credit Photo : KFFSBO 2026 LOC
