PETALING JAYA: Painful incidents can either make or break a player.
But for men’s doubles pair Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing, they are hoping to turn their low point at the last home tournament into something positive when they get into action at the Malaysian Masters starting on Tuesday at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Last year, they were left disappointed due to a controversial call that saw them missing a place in the quarter-finals of the Malaysian Masters.
Swiss umpire Peter Meszaros awarded a point to their opponents Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaardeven of Denmark although the Malaysians claimed that the shuttle had clearly landed out in the deciding game.
Due to the controversial call, Aaron-Khai Xing lost focus and they eventually lost 10-21, 26-24, 16-21.
However, the pair have put the incident behind them and are determined to do better this time, with a place in the semi-finals among their targets.
“I think this year, like I said, we just want to take it step by step and one match at a time. We are not thinking too much about last year’s incident.
“Our target for this tournament is to play our best at home and enjoy the game,” said Khai Xing.
Aaron-Khai Xing will take on Taiwan’s Lai Po-yu-Tsai Fu-cheng in the opening round, and if they win, they will face either He Zhi-wei-Huang Jui-hsuan of Taiwan, or fellow Malaysians Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King.
A good result on home soil would also provide a timely lift after their second round exit at the Orleans Masters previously.
Aaron-Khai Xing hoped the right tactics and strategy on court, and also good communication would take them far.
“I think this year we have improved a lot in our communication and understanding on court. In terms of our physical game and attacking play, there has been improvement too, but I feel the biggest progress has been in our communication,” he added.
