JAKARTA: World No. 5 men's pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will have plenty to do if they are to turn their bronze medal into a more valuable colour at the Paris Olympics.
Their last three tournaments, including a last 16 exit at the Indonesia Open today, does not bode well for their Olympic chances, let alone the gold.
Their defeat, a rather tame one at 21-16, 21-14 against Taiwan's world No. 25 Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han came at their final competitive event before the Paris Olympics, just six weeks away.
Over the past fortnight, they managed only two quarter-final appearances at the Malaysia Masters and Singapore Open.
Despite being the top seeds at a home tournament, they were unexpectedly ousted by 28th-ranked pair, Jin Yong-Na Sung Seung of South Korea.
Wooi Yik offered no excuses as he looked ahead to addressing their weaknesses in their return to Kuala Lumpur
for training.
"Our performance wasn't up to par, and our opponents were superior. We must focus on improving our game during our training back home," said Wooi Yik.
"There's a lot we need to refine, and, most importantly, we need to regain our confidence and rediscover our form.
"We definitely want to improve on our bronze medal achievement from the Tokyo Games, but it requires focusing on one aspect at a time."
Despite some setbacks, it was still a rewarding day for the national men's doubles squad at the Indonesia Open as world No. 13 Nur Izzuddin Rumsani-Goh Sze Fei, along with world No. 20 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, advanced to the last eight.
After their impressive victory over world champions Seo Seung Jae-Kang Min Hyuk the previous day, Wei Chong-Kai Wun continued by defeating world No. 15 Frederik Sogaard-Rasmus Kjaer 21-18, 19-21, 21-12 in a hard-fought match.
Wei Chong expressed his joy at finally achieving breakthrough in a Super 1000 tournament, marking the pair's first advancement to the quarter-finals after nearly two years of competing in top-tier tournaments where they often exited early.
"We never expected to come this far," said Wei Chong. "It's crucial for us to stay grounded as we aim to keep progressing."
Wei Chong-Kai Wun are set to face Ching Yao-Po Han next, seeking to replicate their previous victory against the Taiwanese in last year's Taiwan Open final.
All eyes will be on Izzuddin-Sze Fei as they strive to overcome the quarter-final barrier in their third attempt in as many weeks.
Izzuddin-Sze Fei displayed resilience amid the hostile home crowd at Istora Senayan, defeating local favourites Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin 16-21, 21-16, 21-12.
In their upcoming match, they are likely to face China's world No. 2 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang, in a rematch of the Asia Championships final, promising an intriguing showdown.