KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik’s gamble to return to competition despite lingering injury concerns appears to have backfired, leaving their season hanging in the balance.
The world No. 4 lasted just six minutes at the Kumamoto Masters Japan on Tuesday before retiring from their opening-round match against India’s Hariharan Amsakarunan-M.R. Arjun while trailing 11-6.
National men’s doubles coach Chang Kim Wai, who is accompanying the players in Kumamoto, confirmed that Wooi Yik was still troubled by the same right heel injury sustained during last month’s French Open.
It was the second time in less than three weeks that the two-time Olympic bronze medallists had been forced to retire from a match because of the injury.
Having skipped the Hylo Open and Korea Open to allow Wooi Yik time to recover, their decision to return in Kumamoto was aimed at keeping alive their hopes of qualifying for next month’s World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.
Instead, the setback has raised serious questions over whether they should now consider cutting short their season.
Their qualification prospects have also become increasingly precarious.
Following the Korea Open, Aaron-Wooi Yik have slipped to eighth in the World Tour Finals race, with Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard and Indonesia’s Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza breathing down their necks.
The Danes, who began the week just one place behind the Malaysians, kept their challenge alive after surviving a scare against Malaysia’s Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong, winning 21-16, 16-21, 22-20 in 57 minutes.
Only the top eight pairs, with a maximum of two from each country, will qualify for the lucrative Dec 9-13 Finals.
Although Aaron-Wooi Yik remain entered for next week’s Hong Kong Open, their participation is now uncertain following the latest retirement.
Even if they manage to secure a place in Hangzhou, the bigger question is whether Wooi Yik will be physically ready to compete.
National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi had previously stressed that the pair’s fitness would take precedence over their participation in the Finals.
Missing the prestigious season-ending tournament would undoubtedly be disappointing, given the substantial prize money and valuable ranking points on offer.
However, the pair must also weigh the potential consequences of prolonging Wooi Yik’s recovery, particularly with the qualifying period for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics beginning next May.
With another Olympic campaign looming, ensuring Wooi Yik returns to full fitness could ultimately prove more important than salvaging the final weeks of this season.
Meanwhile, there was better news for Malaysia elsewhere in the men’s doubles competition, with Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King setting up an all-Malaysian second-round clash.
Fourth seeds Sze Fei-Izzuddin needed just 28 minutes to dispatch Denmark’s Christian Faust Kjaer-Rasmus Kjaer 21-15, 21-16.
It was their second victory over the world No. 20 Danes, having also beaten them in three games at last month’s French Open.
Aaron-Roy King were equally impressive, brushing aside Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi 21-8, 21-14 in just 25 minutes.
The result ensured that Malaysia will have at least one men’s doubles pair in the quarter-finals.
Another Malaysian combination, Chia Weijie-Teo Ee Yi, also enjoyed a successful outing in qualifying.
They defeated China’s Lin Xiang Yi-Zeng Wei Han 21-15, 21-18 in 35 minutes to secure a place in the main draw.
Weijie-Ee Yi will face another Chinese pair, He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu, in the opening round on Wednesday.