PETALING JAYA: Coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is a hard man to please.
The Indonesian is far from satisfied even though 2025 has been one of the best seasons for Malaysia’s men’s doubles department.
The season is nearing its conclusion with just a handful of tournaments remaining – the ongoing Korean Masters, followed by the Kumamoto Masters in Japan, the Australian Open in Sydney, the SEA Games in Thailand in December, and finally, the season-ending World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.
Herry wants to see the men’s doubles shuttlers finish the year on a high note.
He has decided to withdraw top pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik from the Kumamoto Masters and Australian Open to focus on the two major events in December – the SEA Games and the World Tour Finals.
“Yes, we’ve won several titles and there have been improvements, but I’m still not content,” said Herry.
Aaron-Wooi Yik have enjoyed a stellar year, winning the Asian Championships, Thailand Open, and Singapore Open, while finishing runners-up at the Malaysian Masters and China Open.
Meanwhile, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun captured the Malaysian Masters crown and are still in the running to qualify for the World Tour Finals.
While pushing for higher standards among the elite pairs, Herry is also keeping an eye on the next generation.
He was actively involved in the Talent Identification Programme (TID) organised by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), which brought together 36 doubles players aged 14–16 from 15 states.
“I saw potential in about four to six players – they looked promising,” said Herry.
“For 16-year-olds, they showed good quality in their game. We haven’t finalised the list yet, but a few will likely be promoted to the junior squad.”
Herry stressed the importance of maintaining a continuous pipeline of talent to ensure sustained success for Malaysia.
“We need to keep regenerating players for the future. That’s the best way to move forward,” he added.
Currently, besides world No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun, the other pairs showing encouraging progress are Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King and Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri.
