Malaysia men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in action against South Korea’s Kim Young-hyuk-Wang Chan during the first round of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: There are no clear favourites in the men's doubles in the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris.
And national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes that all the pairs competing in the world meet are evenly matched.
Based on form so far this year, South Korea's world No. 1 Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho and Malaysia's world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are among the favourites for the title but Rexy is not counting out the other pairs.
"No pair can win all the time. If you see in the China Open last month, Seung-jae-Won-ho and Aaron-Wooi Yik were beaten by Indonesia's scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, who then won the title," said Rexy.
"All the pairs have an equal chance to win the gold in the World Championships. It comes down to which pair prepares the best for the tournament."
Rexy also pointed out that Seung-jae, who will be the defending champion after capturing the title in the last edition in 2023 in Copenhagen, was no longer playing together with his partner at that time Kang Min-hyuk - showing that no pair has managed to remain consistent.
"When Seung-jae won the gold with Min-hyuk in 2023, everyone were saying they were very strong," said Rexy.
"But now, they have split up. This shows that no pair can be very consistent.
"For me, staying hungry is very important. Players need to have the hunger to keep winning."
Rexy is hoping to guide one of the Malaysian pairs under him to the title.
Besides Aaron-Wooi Yik, the other Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) pairs that have qualified for the prestigious meet are world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun and world No. 22 Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi.
They will be joined by world No. 3 independent duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
Rexy believes the pairs have to be diligent about not just their on-court preparations but also what they need to do off it to enhance their chances of success in Paris.
"For me, it's not just about preparing on technique or strategy but staying healthy before the tournament is also very important," said Rexy.
"Our players need to eat and sleep well. They have to warm up and cool down properly before and after training sessions and matches to avoid injuries."
