PETALING JAYA: The Hong Kong Open, which gets underway today, may not have the glamour of the recent World Championships in Paris, yet it remains crucial for those seeking redemption.
In particular, the men’s doubles pairs who returned empty-handed from Paris will be hoping to deliver better results in Kowloon this week.
National men’s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi just wants to see his charges raise their game after their struggles in Paris.
"We will still go and play, and I hope they can perform," said Herry when asked about his expectations for the Hong Kong Open.
Ironically, last year’s edition also offered little joy for the national men’s doubles as none of the seven pairs made it far, with only Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun reaching the quarter-finals.
This time, Malaysia will field eight pairs, including Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri and independent pair Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong, who will first need to come through the qualifying rounds.
Top seeds Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are back in the tournament after missing out last year through injury, and they will be eager to reignite their spirits following a disappointing campaign in Paris.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun, meanwhile, face another all-Malaysian clash in the opening round against Mohd Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong.
It will be a stern test for Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, who was rushed to hospital just days before leaving for Hong Kong, as he and partner Yap Roy King have been drawn against third seeds Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark.
The other two Malaysian pairs are Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, who will take on Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan, while Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani are set to face China’s Xie Haonan-Zeng Weihan.
Malaysia last won the men’s doubles crown in 1999, when Datuk Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock stood on top of the podium.
