KUALA LUMPUR: Men's pair Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik have again fallen at the final hurdle.
On Sunday, they lost in the Denmark Open final, which was their seventh defeat in their last eight finals on the World Tour.
The world No. 4 pair were outclassed 21-8, 21-11 by Indonesia's Fajar Alfian–Muhammad Shohibul Fikri at the SJF Bank Arena in Odense.
Despite consistently going deep into tournaments, the former world champions struggled to turn final appearances into titles.
Their only triumph in their last eight World Tour finals came at the Singapore Open in June last year, where they defeated South Korea's Kim Won Ho–Seo Seung Jae in the title decider.
Since then, Aaron–Wooi Yik finished runners-up at the Malaysia Masters, China Open and Arctic Open last year.
Their struggles continued this season with defeats in the Malaysia Open, All England and Taiwan Open finals before Sunday's disappointment in Denmark.
They also fell short at the World Championships in New Delhi in August, losing to China's Liang Wei Keng–Wang Chang in the title decider.
Sunday's defeat was particularly disappointing as Aaron–Wooi Yik had entered the final full of confidence after ousting South Korea's world No.1 Won Ho–Seung Jae 21-14, 21-18 in Saturday's semi-finals, raising hopes of another title in Odense.
However, they failed to replicate that form against Fajar–Fikri, who dominated to deny the Malaysians a second Denmark Open crown.
Aaron–Wooi Yik previously won the tournament in 2023, beating Indonesia's Muhammad Shohibul Fikri–Bagas Maulana for their maiden World Tour title.
Despite the defeat, Aaron–Wooi Yik can take positives from their campaign, having reached the final in their first tournament back together after months of playing with different partners.
Their reunion has shown encouraging signs, particularly with their victory over the world No. 1 Koreans, but their inability to consistently deliver in finals remains a concern.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd