Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik: Everything to know about Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's quarterfinals opponents

Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik will be Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s quarterfinal opponents at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two pairs have been rivals on the court for some time now, and a second-consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the Games is at stake for the Malaysians.

Chia and Yik joined forces nearly a decade ago and rapidly rose through the ranks. They delivered some impressive performances on the junior circuit, but it was in 2018 that the duo truly shone through.

That year, they reached the semifinals of the Vietnam International and the Malaysia International, as well as the SaarLorLux Open. They made their World Championships debut that same season, making it to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen.

Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik continued that form in 2019, claiming silver at the All England Open, and gold in the SEA Games. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the duo came back from a game down to beat long-time rivals Mohammed Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 17-21, 21-17, 21-14 in the bronze medal match.

A year later, Chia and Yik beat the Indonesians once again, this time in the finals of the 2022 World Championships. This made them the first Malaysian shuttlers to claim gold at the event.

Despite a weak run in the first few months of the 2023 season, the Malaysians recovered well by the end of the year to win bronze at the World Championships and Asian Games.

Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik at the Paris Olympics

Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik began their campaign at the Paris Olympics on July 27, playing Great Britain's Ben Lane and Sean Vendy. The Malaysians, ranked fairly higher than the British duo, were expected to win with ease. However, they stumbled on the first game, losing 19-21, before coming back to claim the win 21-16, 21-11.

Next, Chia and Yik were back in action on court on July 28 taking down Canada's Yakura Nyl and Adam Dong in straight games. For their last group stage match, the Malaysians took on World No.1 Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang, losing to the Chinese 22-24, 14-21.