KUALA LUMPUR: Reigning world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik kept their winning momentum going by reaching the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open today.
The world No 4 needed just 31 minutes to eliminate French pair Lucas Corvee-Ronan Labar 21-13, 21-18 in the last 16.
It is the furthest Aaron-Wooi Yik have reached in Odense following the last-16 defeats in 2019 and last year.
"This is the first time we are in the quarter-finals here. For some reason, we have always struggled in the past. So we are quite pleased with that," said Aaron when contacted in Odense.
"It will get tougher as we progress, so we need to stay at the top of our game."
In the women's doubles, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah fell just short in their bid to upset top seeds Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan of China.
The world No 11 gave the world champions a run for their money before going down 21-18, 20-22, 21-17 in a pulsating duel that lasted an hour and 13 minutes.
It was certainly a great fight from Pearly-Thinaah compared to the 21-10, 21-19 defeat to the Qing Chen-Yi Fan in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open in July.
Coach Hoon Thien How believes Pearly-Thinaah would have won if they had kept their composure during the crucial stage.
"At 17-all in the rubber game, Pearly-Thinaah were too hasty and gave away easy points," said Thien How.
"Anyway, I am pleased with the performance. Pearly-Thinaah showed that they can match their more illustrious opponents.
"I am so proud of them despite the defeat."