KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, will perhaps, with some anxiety, await the Olympic men's doubles quarter-final draw tomorrow.
The Malaysian duo finished second to China's World No.1 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in Group A after a 24-22, 21-14 loss at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris this morning.
As group runners-up, World No 4 Aaron-Wooi Yik can expect a tougher draw for the knockout round as they will face one of the group winners, which could be an Indonesian or South Korean pair.
A kind draw can give former world champions Aaron-Wooi Yik the momentum in meeting their stated goal of winning the Olympic gold in Paris.
On their match against Wei Keng-Wang Chang, which lasted 42 minutes, Wooi Yik said he and Aaron were in good physical condition but they were lacking in the first few shots after the service.
"We were playing against the world No 1, and the first few shots were very crucial. The pair that were sharper in that regard, had the advantage.
"Even though we were at a disadvantage in that respect, we never gave up and tried to buck up. I think that is the crucial aspect that we need to focus on going forward," Wooi Yik told the BWF.
Even before they took to the court this morning, Aaron-Wooi Yik had already qualified for the quarter-finals following earlier group wins over Britain's Ben Lane-Sean Vendy and Canada's Adam Dong-Nyl Yakura.
Aaron said this allowed them to enjoy the match against Wei Keng-Wang Chang without any pressure. They started their final group fixture with a 2-6 win-loss record against the Chinese duo.
"We treated this game as a practice match as we have a few more games left (in the knockout rounds).
"Of course, we are hoping to get a different colour medal, but we are taking things one match at a time," said Aaron who won bronze at Tokyo 2020 with Wooi Yik.