PETALING JAYA: National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi (pic) has stood by the decision to field Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the group tie against Japan, despite criticism that the move may have derailed Malaysia’s Sudirman Cup campaign.
Malaysia crashed out in the quarter-finals after a 0-3 loss to defending champions China in Xiamen on Friday, but some fans felt the damage had already been done a day earlier when the team failed to top Group C.
Malaysia had a golden chance to beat Japan and avoid a clash with powerhouse China, but squandered it after a 2-3 defeat in the final group match.
Herry’s selection came under scrutiny as world No. 2 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani were left out despite having recently defeated Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi at the Asian Championships in Ningbo.
Instead, the coaches opted for Aaron-Wooi Yik, who have struggled against the former world champions with just two wins in 10 meetings.
Despite dominating the first game and looking set to finish the second with a win, the opponents mounted a comeback, leading to Malaysia’s heartbreaking 2-3 loss, leaving them to settle for second place in the group.
Still, Herry believes his top pair performed respectably and were simply unlucky.
“I was honestly hoping they could contribute a point, but Aaron and Wooi Yik were a bit unlucky in their match the other day and made a few mistakes.
“But overall, their performance was decent. Perhaps luck just wasn’t on our side,” said Herry.
Japan, who finished top of the group, went on to defeat Taiwan 3-1 in the quarter-finals and will now face China in the semi-finals.
Herry also highlighted the need for Wooi Yik to raise his physical conditioning to keep up with the demands of top-tier competition.
“For Wooi Yik, I think there’s room to improve physically. He needs to spend more time in the gym to build power and endurance.
‘’He’s doing fine now, but to be even better, that step is necessary, He’s already strong at the net. What he needs to sharpen now are his overhead shots,” he added.
