Fruitful outing: Haikal Nazri (left) and Choong Hon Jian celebrate after winning the Syed Modi International title in Lucknow. — BAM
PETALING JAYA: We want more!
After securing their maiden title at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow, India, men’s doubles pair Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri want to maintain their momentum and win more titles on the global stage.
World No. 93 Hon Jian-Haikal, who started partnering each other three months ago, secured a sensational 18-21, 21-18, 21-16 win over top seeds and world No. 16 Akira Koga-Taichi Saito of Japan in the final on Sunday that lasted 63 minutes.
Hon Jian-Haikal had also overcame higher ranked Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss-Marvin Seidel (No. 24) and Ben Lane-Sean Vendy of England (No. 24) in the second round and last four respectively.
Haikal was relieved to have ended their wait for a title as they almost blew it due to nervousness.
“We have been together for the last three months and we are happy to win our first title. I believe this is the start for better things to come for us,” said Haikal.
“In future we hope to perform better and win more. I want to maintain this form unlike before where our consistency has always dropped after winning a title.
“We didn’t expect to reach the final, let alone winning it as the draw was tough and the win has given a lot motivation.
“During the final, I was a little nervous in the first game but during the break, I decided to concentrate on the game and play with more confidence. Only then I was able to play my normal game and we managed to make a strong comeback.”
Haikal had split with Wan Arif Wan Junaidi early this year and he was paired off with Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
However, the combination did not last long as Izzuddin resumed his partnership with Goh Sze Fei in July as the latter’s combination with Hon Jian also did not show results.
