KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- National men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's hopes of winning a second world title were dashed after they succumbed to China's Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in the 2026 edition in New Delhi today.
Playing at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, fourth seeds Aaron-Wooi Yik got off to a slow start, trailing 1-5 before drawing level at 5-5.
The two pairs then traded points until 13-13, but third seeds Wei Keng-Wang stepped up their aggression to pull away and take the first set 21-17.
In the second set, the Malaysians, who reunited after the Indonesia Open last June, once again made a sluggish start, trailing by five points at 4-9 and finding no answer to their opponents' sharpness as they fell further behind at 11-18.
Although Aaron-Wooi Yik managed to reduce the deficit to two points at 16-18 but Wei Keng-Wang held their nerve to wrap up the tie and secure their maiden world title with a 21-16 victory in the second set, completing the win in 35 minutes.
Today's victory also saw Wei Keng-Wang become the first Chinese men's doubles pair to win the world title in eight years, after Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen last won it in Nanjing, China.
The world No. 3 pair also extended their dominance over Aaron-Wooi Yik, having now won 12 of their 15 meetings.
At the 2022 edition, Aaron-Wooi Yik created history by becoming the first Malaysian badminton representatives to win a world title after defeating former Indonesian pair and three-time champions Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan 21-19, 21-14 in Tokyo.
Today’s defeat saw the two-times Olympic Games bronze medallists fail to end their 14-month title drought after they last won a tournament in the Singapore Open 2025, defeating Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae of South Korea 15-21, 21-18, 21-19.
This was their third runners-up finish this year, following second-place finishes at the Malaysia Open in January and the All England in March.
Last June, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) made a strategic shake-up in the national men's doubles department which saw Aaron form a partnership with rising men’s doubles player Aaron Tai while Wooi Yik combined with Man Wei Chong.
Last month, BAM announced that Aaron is also scheduled to play with Wei Chong’s former partner, Tee Kai Wun while leaving out Wooi Yik from the squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which will kick off Sept 19-Oct 4.
Speaking after the match, the 28-year-old Wooi Yik admitted that Wei Keng-Wang Chang were stronger at the front court and was pleased with their journey in this year’s world meet despite coming up short in the final.
“I'm still very happy with the result but we did a good job to reach the final. However, it couldn't end in the best way,” he said in an audio shared by Badminton World Federation to media.
Meanwhile, Aaron, 29, echoed his partner's assessment, saying their opponents' performance and pressure on court left them struggling to find a way back into the match.
-- BERNAMA