Kuala Lumpur: The recent victory of Malaysia’s World No. 6 men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, at the Korea Masters on Sunday has reignited their chances of qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, next month.
Chia/Soh clinched their first title of the season after defeating the home duo Jin Yong/Kim Won Ho 21-23, 21-19, 21-14 in the final held at the Iksan Gymnasium.
Following their victory, Chia/Soh earned 7,000 points, which will boost their position within the top 10 of the World Tour rankings to 63,090 points.
However, only the top eight pairs will qualify for the season-ending tournament, which offers a total prize pool of USD 2.5 million (approximately RM11 million).
To secure their spot in Hangzhou, Chia/Soh must at least reach the semifinals in their last two tournaments: the Kumamoto Masters in Japan, starting Tuesday, and the China Masters from November 19 to 24.
For Chia, their victory at the Korea Masters has significantly boosted their confidence as they prepare for the challenges in Japan and China, particularly in their mission to secure a ticket to the World Tour Finals.
“We’re happy to slowly regain our form after Wooi Yik’s injury. This is an important win for us.”
“It was a tough tournament, but everything went smoothly. We’ll continue to give our best in the remaining two tournaments this year,” said Chia.
Chia/Soh will kick off their campaign at the Kumamoto Masters against the Danish pair Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard in the first round.
