PETALING JAYA: The national professional doubles camp have been working tirelessly in preparation for the Malaysian Open, which gets under way on Tuesday at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
And lending his expertise is former world No. 1 men’s doubles player Koo Kien Keat.
Kien Keat, when contacted, said he has spent the past two weeks training alongside the professional doubles players and noted several positive developments within the squad under the guidance of coach Teo Kok Siang.
However, he acknowledged that two weeks is not a long period to effect major changes among professional players, but said his presence has at least helped them fine tune their preparations for the season opening tournament on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) calendar.
Kien Keat also shared his experience to help boost the confidence of the players, particularly men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who struggled to find consistency in several tournaments last year.
"With two weeks, you cannot help much, to be honest. We are still getting to know each other. After those two weeks, I have a much better understanding of their situation," said Kien Keat, who previously had a short coaching stint in England last year.
"The main issue is helping them regain their confidence and rediscover their weapons. They need to know what their strengths are, and in two weeks, there is only so much you can do.
"Of course, they are also very down to earth. We have shared a lot, and they have been receptive and willing to listen. I think it is now a matter of having someone guide them to rebuild their confidence, understand what went wrong, and know what they need to do to move forward.''
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will begin their Malaysian Open campaign against Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard. It will be a repeat of the 2025 edition, where the third seeds suffered a shock first-round defeat to the Danish pair.
It was an unfortunate draw for two other professional pairs, with Teo Ee Yi and Ong Yew Sin set to face Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong for a place in the second round.
Meanwhile, Goh V Shem, who is partnering South Korean Choi Sol-gyu, will take on Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King.
Also competing are the mixed doubles pairs Goh Soon Huat–Shevon Lai Jemie, Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing and Wong Tien Ci–Lim Chiew Sien.
Soon Huat-Shevon will face Taiwanese pair Wu Guan-xu and Lee Chia-hsin. Jimmy and Pei Jing are up against the seventh seeds Tan Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet, while Tien Ci-Chiew Sien will face a tough challenge against last year’s runners-up Fen Yanzhe-Huang Dongping.
