Roy King relishing new challenge with Arif

PETALING JAYA: National doubles shuttler Yap Roy King is not one to back down from a challenge although he was surprised to be chosen as Wan Arif Wan Junaidi’s new partner after a reshuffle in the men’s doubles department.

Arif’s three-year partnership with Mohd Haikal Nazri had ended after the latter had been combined with Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.

Roy King will now have double duty as he is also playing in the mixed doubles with Valeree Siow.

“I was quite shocked when Arif and the coaches chose me as his new partner as I had just recently been looking to fully focus on the mixed doubles,” said Roy King, who turned 22 last Friday.

“Although this was unexpected, playing in two events is not a problem for me as I have been given double duty since my junior days.’’

The youngster last played in the men’s doubles with Chang Yee Jun for about a year and had reached No. 64 in the world rankings before their partnership ended last November when the latter was briefly combined with Low Hang Yee.

Yee Jun has since been dropped from the national team and has now decided to pursue a full-time coaching role at the CPS Badminton Academy.

Roy King’s best results with Yee Jun were reaching the semi-finals of the Ukraine and Swedish Opens last year.

The former did capture the 2021 Latvia International title with previous partner Nurfirdaus Azman after they upstaged none other than Arif and Haikal in the final.

Roy King is modest about his past results as he believes that Arif is still the more experienced of the two.

“Arif is more experienced than me and has won many titles. He’s a good player and I’m hoping to form a strong partnership with him.

“So far, our rotation in training is good but we need more time to build a better understanding with each other.

“For now, I’m looking to break into the top 100 in the world with him.”

Arif-Roy King’s first tournament together will be the Thailand International Challenge from March 7-12.