PETALING JAYA: Picture this – Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik locking horns with world No. 1 Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae in the All-England final.
It is a showdown national men's doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is eager to see and he is leaving nothing to chance to make it happen.
With the prestigious All-England taking place in Birmingham from March 3-8, Herry has stepped up his efforts to ensure the former world champions are in peak physical condition.
Although world No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik recently lost to the Koreans in the home Open final last month, Herry believes a different outcome is possible with fitter Malaysians.
And to get them battle-ready for March, Herry has even rolled up his own sleeves, putting in extra work to sharpen their physical strength.
"I do hope the world’s top two pairs will meet again in the final," said Herry.
"I believe Aaron-Wooi Yik have a chance. We could see at the Malaysian Open final that they just needed a little more.
"During two or three crucial points, Aaron-Wooi Yik made mistakes, and I feel that if it weren’t for those points, the result would have been different.
"We have started the new physical strength programme on Thursday, and we can see that the players are responding well to it and are enthusiastic about training.
Herry will get to test the duo at the German Open from Feb 25-March 2 before heading to Birmingham.
"The focus now is on the German Open, and ultimately the All-England. We’ve been giving their physical strength more attention," he said.
"Of course, we would want a title in Germany, but it’s tough to say for now because we need to monitor the players’ condition, and the men’s doubles field is among the toughest," added Herry.
