PETALING JAYA: Independent coach Rosman Razak has the faith that his charges Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi can win a medal but the men’s doubles pair must first forget about their below par results in recent times to achieve their objective in Hangzhou.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi, the world No. 9, will be competing in the men’s doubles with 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, the world No. 5, where both pairs will be aiming to win their first individual medals at the Games.
The independent combination will be competing at the Asiad for the second time and they came close in Jakarta five years ago where they lost to current world No. 1 Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto of Indonesia in the quarter-finals.
However, their recent results have been unflattering where they have lost in the second round at five of the last six tournaments, including the World Championships in Copenhagen last month, with a quarter-final appearance in the China Open being their best result during this period.
Rosman said that Ee Yi was affected by an injury issue (knee) which had affected his performance but it was too early to press the panic button.
“Yew Sin-Ee Yi have a chance for a medal but they have to forget about the recent run of low key results first if they want to do well in Hangzhou,” said Rosman.
“Their performance has dipped but they have been training hard and Ee Yi has also shown good recovery from some injury issues.
“The men’s doubles scenario is an open battlefield and any pair in the top 20 can win, and this gives Yew Sin-Ee Yi an equal chance for a medal.
“As for the team event, Malaysia also have a balanced line-up to battle with anyone and Yew Sin-Ee Yi must remain positive to help the country as the team event will be held first.”
Rosman feels it is too early to press the panic button as a few good results can change the fortunes of Yew Sin-Ee Yi and he believes the breakthrough may not be too far.
“They are chasing a place in the Paris Olympics and they have been placed near the top eight. If they can secure semi-final or final spots in several tournaments, they should be able to move into the top eight,” added Rosman.
“The Asiad is another avenue which can build their confidence with a good performance.”
Rosman was also pleased with the opportunity to attend the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) centralised training from Sept 19-23 which helped the duo to prepare well.
“Good facility, we had good training with some strong pairs including Aaron-Wooi Yik and it was helpful for Yew Sin-Ee Yi,” said Rosman.
The Malaysian squad will leave for Hangzhou today where the team events will be held from Sept 28-Oct 1 and the individual events will be staged from Oct 2-7.
