Aaron-Wooi Yik Chase World Tour Finals
Malaysia’s men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik remain focused on qualifying for the 2026 BWF World Tour Finals despite a minor injury setback. The world No. 4 duo aim to collect enough ranking points during their remaining tournaments to secure a place among the top eight pairs.
Aaron and Wooi Yik retired from their French Open quarter-final against eventual champions Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun last Friday after Wooi Yik injured his right heel. The withdrawal and their decision to skip the Hylo Open in Germany have left them fifth in the qualification race.
The World Tour Finals will take place in Hangzhou from December 9 to 13. With three tournaments remaining in November, Aaron believes his partnership must make every opportunity count.
The Malaysians will compete at the Korean Open from November 3 to 8, followed by the Kumamoto Masters in Japan from November 10 to 15. They will then head to the Hong Kong Open, which runs from November 17 to 22.
“We have to go all out because there are still three tournaments left,” said Aaron upon arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) yesterday.
“There are points to be earned, so we will compete and see how things turn out.”
Aaron also reassured fans about Wooi Yik’s recovery. The 29-year-old described his partner’s heel injury as not serious, although Wooi Yik, 28, still needs time to recover.
“Everything is good in terms of his condition.
“He is still recovering, but we will definitely be going to Korea, Japan and Hong Kong.”
The pair recently reunited after a brief split and quickly proved their strength by reaching the Denmark Open final. That result came just a week before their French Open quarter-final retirement.
Having played together for many years, Aaron believes their time apart did not significantly affect their partnership. Their recent performances have also shown that they can still challenge the world’s leading men’s doubles pairs.
“We’ve been playing together for many years, so it (the split) didn’t really affect us that much,” he said.
Although qualification remains their immediate goal, Aaron is avoiding expectations about how far they could progress at the Finals.
“Let’s qualify first, then we can think about the knockout stages.’’
Aaron and Wooi Yik have competed at the World Tour Finals four times, in 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2025. However, they have never advanced beyond the group stage. If they qualify this year, the Malaysians will have another chance to improve their record at the prestigious season-ending tournament.
Meanwhile, fellow Malaysian pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have already secured their places. The world No. 5 duo finished as silver medalists at the 2024 World Tour Finals.
Malaysia can send a maximum of two pairs to the Finals. Therefore, Aaron and Wooi Yik must stay focused on earning the points they need while giving Wooi Yik enough time to regain full fitness.
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