Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik stage thrilling comeback to beat Chinese duo Hu Ke Yuan–Lin Xiang Yi, advancing to BAC quarter-finals in Ningbo.
DEFENDING champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, had to dig deep before booking their spot in the quarter-finals of the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, China on Thursday.
Facing the energetic Chinese duo Hu Ke Yuan and Lin Xiang Yi, ranked 37th in the world, the Malaysians were pushed to the limit in a nail-biting last-16 clash.
Aaron–Wooi Yik eventually triumphed 22-20, 21-19 in a match that had fans on the edge of their seats.
The first game saw the world No. 2 men’s doubles pair trail 17-20 before producing a dramatic five-point surge to snatch the lead.
They carried the momentum into the second game, fending off a late rally from Ke Yuan–Xiang Yi to seal the victory.
Aaron and Wooi Yik will next face either Japan’s world No. 8 Takuro Hoki–Yugo Kobayashi or South Korea’s world No. 22 Kang Min Hyuk–Ki Dong Joo in the quarter-finals on Friday.