An honour: Yap Roy King returns a shot to South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho as his partner Wan Arif Wan Junaidi looks on during the Malaysian Open first round. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: National men’s doubles shuttler Yap Roy King believes that he can follow in the footsteps of his idol and reigning world champion, Seo Seung-jae.
Seung-jae of South Korea showed exceptional prowess in juggling both men’s and mixed doubles events, stealing the spotlight by clinching titles in both categories at the 2023 World Championships.
It is no wonder that Roy King holds great admiration for Seung-jae as he is also navigating the challenge of competing in both disciplines.
Yesterday, Roy King and his partner, Wan Arif Wan Junaidi had the opportunity to face Seung-jae and his scratch partner, Kim Won-ho in the first round of the Malaysian Open at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
The Malaysian duo went down 17-21, 11-21 but it was an encouraging performance, given it was their maiden appearance in the home tourney.
Both Seung-jae and Won-ho are formidable opponents, with the latter having solidified his reputation as a top player by winning the silver medal in the Paris Olympics last year with his mixed doubles partner, Jeong Na-eun.
Roy King remains optimistic about their future and is confident that with dedication and hard work, they can catch up with the world’s top pair.
“I think it is an honour playing against him (Seung-jae),” said Roy King, who will be turning 24 next month.
“I am confident in my partner and our progress. With hard work, we will be able to close the gap.
“For now, we need to stay positive as there are other tournaments ahead.”
Arif acknowledges there is room for improvement in terms of their skills and mentality.
“It was a good experience playing with a top pair, but it was a waste that we could not win at least a game,” said Arif.
“Their strengths lie in their service and receiving... they are also far more consistent than us.
“We kept attacking but were too impatient, rushing to kill shots and making mistakes.”
This is Arif-Roy King’s last tournament with coach Tan Bin Shen, who will be leaving Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to join Hong Kong’s team.
“We’ve learned a lot from coach Bin Shen,” said Arif, who is aiming to break into the top 15 in world ranking this year.
“He has been with us through both happy and difficult moments.
“He always reminds us that all the opponents are the same, and the real strength lies in playing smart and winning crucial points.”
