Soh Wooi Yik acknowledges Malaysia’s chances of doing well at the upcoming Thomas Cup (April 24-May 3) will hinge greatly on the performance of the men’s doubles.
“Our doubles squad is strong. It’s the main strength of our team. From our side, we must do our job. In Chengdu, we won bronze because the doubles had a good run. They only lost two matches the whole tournament,” Soh told the Badminton World Federation.
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Soh was referring to Malaysia’s run at the 2024 Thomas Cup, where both he and Aaron Chia as well as Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin played their part to help Malaysia reach the semi-finals.
They lost 3-1 against China, with Soh-Chia delivering the solitary point when they beat Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in an epic match.
Soh-Chia will once again shoulder Malaysia’s challenge in the first doubles, with their national team-mates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun set to take the second doubles spot.
But in a team event like this, doubles’ prowess is not enough. To win a tie outright, Malaysia needs a point from the men’s singles.
Soh thinks his good friend Lee Zii Jia is just the man for that.
“We have hope for the singles. It’s good to have Lee in the team, that will make a difference,” he added.
Malaysia will open their campaign against England this Saturday, followed by Finland on April 27 before ending their group fixture with a tasty tie against Japan.
