All-England: Aaron-Wooi Yik book semis berth in style, as Zii Jia bows out

Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are through to the All-England Open semi-finals after needing only 31-minutes to claim their victory in the last eight, as Lee Zii Jia bowed out despite giving his all in a mammoth 71-minute battle.

Chia-Soh brushed aside former All-England champions Shohibul Fikri-Bagas Maulana 21-14, 21-11 in a one-sided contest, thanks to a ferocious attacking display that gave their Indonesian opponents no chance at all.

Fikri-Maulana led early in the opening game, but once Chia-Soh found their groove, there was no stopping them.

Soh was excellent in the back court, while Chia’s soft touches at the front court carved out multiple opportunities which the world number five pair finished with aplomb.

Chia-Soh will fancy their chances against Chinese Taipei pair Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan in the semis, whom they have beaten in all their three previous meetings since 2022.

Zii Jia meanwhile missed out on a last four place despite giving everything against Lakshya Sen as the Malaysian went down 22-20, 16-21, 19-21 in a fiery contest.

Both shuttlers put on an excellent display, but with the scores locked at 19-19 in the deciding game, Sen found the extra gear to seal the match.

The Malaysian was nonetheless happy with his overall performance that saw him beat Kodai Naraoka and Loh Kean Yew to reach the last eight.

“I’m frustrated that I couldn’t win the match despite playing my best game. Lakshya looks in his best form and I am happy for him.

“Although I didn’t reach the semi-finals, there are positives for me to take back,” said Zii Jia, who is scheduled to play at the Swiss Open next week.

Chia-Soh are the only Malaysians left at the All-England after Pearly Tan-M.Thinaah also lost their last eight match on Friday evening.

The national women’s doubles pair, who beat world number one Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan in the second round, went down in three games against Rena Miyaura-Ayako Sakuramoto.