Photo: Bernama
INDEPENDENT pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (pic) may have been the best performers in the Malaysian Open but they need to add more firepower to their game if they want to grab one of the two spots for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.
World No. 7 Yew Sin-Ee Yi, relying more on their flair and smooth partnership to outwit their opponents, need to add more weapons to their arsenal, specifically a more attack-oriented style to have a better chance of beating the top 10 pairs.
On Friday, they lost to world No. 1 Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto of Indonesia at the Axiata Arena after a good start.
Aggression combined with their natural skills will make them as potent as Fajar-Rian, who combined attack and skills to reach eight finals and win four of them last year.
There will be more duels in the future between the two pairs but the Malaysians must be enterprising and be willing to change their approach in order to continue rising under new coach Rosman Razak.
Meanwhile, Badminton Association of Malaysia doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky has urged his doubles players to come out of their comfort zones.
World champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik lost to their China rivals Liu Yu Chen-Ou Xuanyi in the second round while Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani fell in the first round to another China pair Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang. In the women’s doubles, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah were blown away in the opening round.
“If you want to be successful, come out of your comfort zone. If you have become world class, you must put yourself under pressure,” says Rexy.
“If a target is set, don’t say that we are putting you under pressure. The players must be brave.
“We take Argentina as an example. They lost to Saudi Arabia (at the World Cup) but then, rose again all the way to win the Cup. We want see something like this from our players.”
Rexy believes 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medal winners Aaron-Wooi Yik can achieve more but the serious work has to start now with the build-up to the Olympics having just started with the Malaysian Open.
“When they get to the finish line, they have to cross it, not to hesitate and let others beat them,” reminds Rexy.
The message was also meant to inspire young pretenders Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (men’s doubles), who also lost in the first round, to pull up their socks and prove that their Taiwan Open victory last year was no flash in the pan.
Rexy has also urged the players to be pro-active and not just follow the training blindly but to get involved by analysing their shortcomings and seeking additional training in order to become better players.
