PETALING JAYA: Less than five weeks ago, the national men’s doubles pairs came under fire for their underwhelming performance at the All-England. But they appear to have taken the criticism in their stride and are showing marked improvement at the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun both booked their spots in the second round after convincing first-round victories on Wednesday.
Sixth seeds Aaron-Wooi Yik made light work of Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura, winning 21-18, 21-15. They will take on India’s Hariharan Amsakarunan-Ruban Rethinasabapathi in the second round today.
It was a similar story for Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who cruised past Hong Kong’s Law Cheuk Him-Yeung Shing Choi 21-14, 21-12. The Malaysian pair are set to face Taiwan’s Liu Kuang-heng-Yang Po-han next.
National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky was pleased with what he saw, noting that both pairs have started to absorb the ideas and strategies introduced by their coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi.
“The men’s doubles pairs are starting to grasp Herry’s philosophy and game plan, and they’re looking more organised on court. While it’s not at 100% yet, I hope they’ll show more courage in fully embracing his approach,” said Rexy.
Top seeds and professional pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzudin Rumsani also overcame the first-round hurdle, defeating former 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi 21-18, 21-16.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will next face Thailand’s Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh, who were crowned Swiss Open champions just last month.
In the women’s doubles, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s hopes of claiming victory against the Korean pair, Kong Hee-yong-Kim Hye-jong, were dashed after a hard-fought match. The Malaysians narrowly lost 19-21, 26-28, despite a spirited performance.
However, there was a silver lining for Malaysia as Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing triumphed over their national teammates, Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting, winning 18-21, 21-19, 21-16 in a tense all-Malaysian clash.
Pei Kee and Mei Xing now face the daunting task of going up against the world-renowned Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan in the second round. With their impressive track record of four world titles and an Olympic gold, Rexy has called on Pei Kee-Mei Xing to embrace the challenge with courage.
He encouraged them to step up, despite their opponents’ remarkable credentials, and give their best performance.
“As for Pei Kee and Mei Xing, they need to see this as an opportunity rather than pressure. This is a golden chance for them. How often do you get to play against Olympic and world champions who are also the world No. 1 pair? I want them to put up a strong fight against the Chinese pair,” Rexy added.
