KOTA KINABALU: In a thrilling final, Malaysia’s men’s doubles team of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik made a remarkable comeback but ultimately fell short of securing the coveted All England title, losing to South Korea’s reigning world champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae by just two crucial points in the deciding game.
The world No. 2 duo lost to the defending champions with scores of 21-18, 12-21, and 19-21 in a grueling match that lasted 62 minutes at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
As a result, Aaron and Wooi Yik have now missed out on the All England title for the third time.
They were previously runners-up in the 2019 and 2024 tournaments, where they were defeated by Indonesian pairs on both occasions.
The two-time Olympic bronze medalists will take home a prize of US$50,750 (RM200,273) as the runners-up.
Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, who have now triumphed in three out of their four meetings against Aaron and Wooi Yik, will receive US$107,300 (RM423,433) as champions.
With this defeat, Malaysia’s 19-year wait for a title in the men’s doubles category at the All England championships continues.
The last Malaysian pair to win the title was Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in 2007.
In other categories at the All England, the winners included Lin Chun Yi from Taiwan (men’s singles), Wang Zhi Yi from China (women’s singles), Liu Sheng Shu from China (women’s doubles), and Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan from Taiwan (mixed doubles).
