PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles shuttlers Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun’s hopes of confirming their spot in the World Tour Finals early were dashed after they suffered a first-round exit in the Japan Masters.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun surprisingly went down 19-21, 18-21 to world No. 30, home pair Kyohei Yamashita-Hiroki Midorikawa, at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium on Tuesday (Nov 11).
The defeat meant that the world No. 5 pair must depend on fellow Malaysians Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani’s results in the tournament to qualify for the Tour Finals from Dec 17-21 in Hangzhou.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun are currently third in the Race to Finals rankings, while Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani are seventh.
The independent duo, though, must win the title in Japan to close the gap with Wei Chong-Kai Wun.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will play South Korea’s Kang Min-hyuk-Ki Dong-ju in their opening match later today.
The Australian Open, which starts on Nov 18 in Sydney, is the last competition offering ranking points towards qualification for the Tour Finals.
