Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, continued their brilliant run of form by booking a place in the final of the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships after a commanding straight-sets victory over defending champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China.
In what was a high-stakes semifinal clash at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Ningbo, the former world champions showcased their composure and class under intense home crowd pressure to defeat the Chinese top seeds 21-12, 21-14.
The victory marks Aaron and Wooi Yik’s third win in 11 head-to-head encounters with the formidable Chinese duo and, more importantly, sends them to their first Asian Championships final together.
From the start, both pairs traded points in an intense opening, with the Malaysians narrowly leading 11-9 at the mid-game interval. But after the break, Liang and Wang crumbled under pressure, committing a series of unforced errors that Aaron and Wooi Yik capitalized on with relentless attacking play.
The Malaysians stormed through the first set, sealing it 21-12 to gain a crucial psychological edge. Buoyed by the momentum, Aaron and Wooi Yik raced to an 11-7 lead in the second set interval and maintained their dominance with sharp net play and powerful smashes.
They eventually wrapped up the match 21-14, securing Malaysia’s place in the men’s doubles final with a confident and clinical performance.
Awaiting them in the final tomorrow will be the winner of the other semifinal clash between Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando-Bagas Maulana and China’s Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that a Malaysian men’s doubles pair has reached the final of the Badminton Asia Championships — a streak that began with Aaron-Wooi Yik in 2022, followed by Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (2023) and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (2024).
However, all three previous Malaysian pairs fell short in the final. This time, Aaron and Wooi Yik will be looking to end that runner-up streak and deliver Malaysia its first men’s doubles Asian title in recent history.
With this victory, Aaron and Wooi Yik not only proved their mettle on the big stage once again but also ignited the hopes of Malaysian fans for continental glory.
Credit Photo : Badminton Asia
