'Not 100 per cent': Wooi Yik's heel gives Herry a headache

KUALA LUMPUR: National coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is prepared to sideline Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik from the World Tour Finals to prevent the latter from aggravating a heel injury.

The pair withdrew from last week's Hylo Open and this week's Korea Open following Wooi Yik's injury at last month's French Open.

Wooi Yik sustained the injury during their first-round match against China's He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu, though the discomfort only emerged after the contest.

The world No. 4 received a walkover in the second round, but retired from their quarter-final clash against eventual champions Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun after trailing 5-0 in the opening game.

Herry said Wooi Yik had undergone rehabilitation and medical consultations since returning from Europe, but had yet to regain full fitness.

"He suffered the injury during the first round of the French Open, but he did not really feel it while playing. It was only after the match that he started feeling the pain," said Herry.

"Since returning from Europe, he has undergone rehabilitation and consulted doctors."It is not a serious injury. His heel was swollen, but the swelling has subsided, and he has resumed training. However, he is still not 100 per cent recovered."

The setback comes at an unfortunate time for Aaron-Wooi Yik, who only recently reunited after a brief partnership reshuffle.

They made an encouraging return by reaching the Denmark Open final before their French Open campaign was cut short.

Despite the disruption, Herry said he was not overly concerned about the injury affecting their momentum.

"Injuries are something no player wants, but you never know when they will happen. So far, I don't see any major problem and I'm not too worried," said Herry.

However, the Indonesian coach said the pair's participation in the season-ending World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, from Dec 9-13 would depend on their physical condition.

"Every player wants to qualify for the World Tour Finals because only the top eight pairs get to compete and the prize money is substantial," said Herry.

"But we have to look at their condition. If they are ready, then we will go.

"If not, we need to discuss what is best for them, especially with preparations for next year already underway."

Aaron-Wooi Yik have slipped to sixth in the World Tour Finals qualification race with 65,740 points, leaving them vulnerable to their closest rivals.

Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard are just 130 points behind, followed by Indonesia's Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza on 65,550 points and China's Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi on 64,200 points.

Only the top eight pairs qualify for the season-ending tournament, with a maximum of two representatives from each country.

Their participation in next week's Kumamoto Masters in Japan, from Nov 10 to 15, remains uncertain, while the Hong Kong Open from Nov 17 to 22 offers another opportunity to collect valuable qualification points.