Ice-cool South Koreans crush Aaron-Wooi Yik's Malaysia Open dream [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik threw the kitchen sink at Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae in a dramatic final, but the red-hot South Koreans stood firm to deny the nation glory at the Malaysia Open once again.

Despite world No. 1 Won Ho-Seung Jae's reputation as the deadliest pair on the planet, Aaron-Wooi Yik fought valiantly before suffering a heartbreaking 21-15, 12-21, 21-18 defeat at the Axiata Arena in 66 minutes today.

Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei was the last Malaysian to win a Super 1000 title in 2018, while the last success in the men's doubles was achieved by Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah in 2014.

The presence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim seemingly boosted Aaron-Wooi Yik's confidence as they stayed in contention until 19-18 in the decider before the Koreans showed their class to seal the crucial points.

Aaron-Wooi Yik also missed a personal milestone as they failed to win a Super 1000 title, suffering their seventh final defeat in the top-tier event of the World Tour.

"That means we have something to improve further until we reach that goal," said Wooi Yik.

"I also believe that success will come to us if we remain consistent in our work and progress. So, I hope we can deliver something good for Malaysia."

After their spirited performance, Aaron rued the missed chance as they came close to upsetting the Koreans after staging a fightback from 11-4 down in the deciding game.

"It was a bit frustrating. I think we did our best today and the fans gave us a lot of support in the rubber game. Even though we trailed far behind, we really believed we could win on our home ground," said Aaron.

It was Aaron-Wooi Yik's second defeat in three meetings against Won Ho-Seung Jae. The Malaysians' only victory last year came at the Singapore Open final.

"At crucial times they were calmer. That's the main difference. It's not really about experience," said Aaron.

"They are playing with confidence because last year, they won 11 titles in total. And that (form) continues immediately as their World Tour Finals win was just two weeks ago. So they are still carrying that confidence, form, and everything."

Aaron-Wooi Yik received their runners-up medals and encouragement from Anwar at the prize-giving ceremony.

Won Ho-Seung Jae received US$107,300 (RM437,588) while Aaron-Wooi Yik settled for US$50,750 (RM206,970).