PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles shuttlers Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun will head for the Hong Kong Open with a spring in their step after reaching a career high No. 6 in the world rankings recently.
The Malaysian pair moved up one rung from No. 7 to No. 6 in the latest rankings after making it into the quarter-finals for the first time in the World Championships in Paris last week.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun went down to South Korea’s world No. 1 and eventual champions Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho in the last eight but won praises for their battling display.
It was another breakthrough for the pair after an impressive year so far.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun captured the Indonesian Masters in January and Malaysian Masters in May.
The duo have also reached at least the quarter-finals in their last six tournaments.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun will be keen to continue their upward trajectory in the Hong Kong tourney which starts on Tuesday in Kowloon.
The pair though will likely need to overcome fellow Malaysians in consecutive rounds to progress far in the competition after they were placed in the top half of the draw along with Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun will play Wee Kiong-Azriyn in the first round before a possible clash with Yew Sin-Ee Yi in the second round and Aaron-Wooi Yik could then await in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Roy King-Arif have a tough opening task against Denmark’s world No. 4 Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.
The other Malaysians in the fray in the men’s doubles are Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Mohd Haikal Nazri-Choong Hon Jian and Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will face China’s Xie Haonan-Zeng Wei Han in the first round while both Haikal-Hon Jian and Hang Yee-Eng Cheong will start from the qualifying round.
