Kemenangan percuma pasangan beregu lelaki, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, boleh disifatkan sebagai sagu hati bagi menghidupkan kembali harapan negara dalam Kejohanan Badminton Asia (BAC) 2019 di Wuhan, China, hari ini.
Aaron-Wooi Yik menjadi satu-satunya wakil Malaysia mara ke suku akhir selepas beregu Indonesia, Mohamad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan, menarik diri ekoran Hendra dikatakan mengalami masalah kesihatan.
Ini membuka peluang kepada wakil negara yang menduduki ranking ke-15 dunia itu untuk meneruskan perjuangan di peringkat suku akhir berdepan pasangan Korea Selatan, Kang Min Hyuk-Kim Won Ho, esok.
Beregu bukan pilihan dari Korea Selatan itu mengejutkan pilihan kelapan dari China, Liu Cheng-Zhang Nan , 21-13, 12-21, 21-12 dalam pusingan kedua.
Terdahulu, dalam perlawanan pusingan pertama semalam, Aaron-Wooi Yik dipaksa bermandi peluh sebelum mengetepikan wakil Thailand, Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh, 21-15, 19-21, 21-17.
Sementara itu, tujuh wakil negara yang mara ke pusingan kedua hari ini, terkandas di tangan lawan masing-masing.
Pemain perseorangan wanita negara, Soniia Cheah, walaupun sudah menguasai set pertama, gagal menyekat pilihan kedua dari Jepun, Nozomi Okuhara, apabila tewas 17-21, 21-12, 21-15.
Beregu wanita, Anna Cheong Ching Yik-Lim Chiew Sien, tewas kepada beregu Thailand, Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai, 21-15, 21-18 selain Vivian Hoo-Yap Cheng Wen yang turut tewas 21-12, 21-8 kepada beregu Korea Selatan, Lee So Hee-Shin Seung Chan.
Beregu lelaki negara, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, yang menguasai set pertama bagaimanapun gagal menyaingi pilihan kedua dari China, Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen, 21-23, 24-22, 21-14 manakala beregu profesional, Mohamad Arif Ab. Latif-Nur Mohd. Azriyn Ayub, tunduk kepada pilihan ketiga dari Jepun, Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda, 21-16, 21-18.
Pemain perseorangan lelaki profesional, Chong Wei Feng, pula tunduk mudah kepada pemain China, Chen Long, 21-16, 21-7 manakala beregu campuran profesional negara, Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying yang diletakkan selaku pilihan kelima dikejutkan dengan kekalahan kepada gandingan China, He Jiting-Du Yue, 23-21, 14-21, 21-15.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Thu Apr 25 2019
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