PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles shuttler Wan Arif Wan Junaidi believes the fierce competition within Malaysia’s men’s doubles department is proof that the gap between the senior and younger pairs is rapidly closing.
World No. 16 pair Wan Arif-Yap Roy King underlined that depth after booking their place in the Malaysian Masters quarter-finals with a 21-12, 22-20 win over compatriots and world No. 26 Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing at the Unifi Arena yesterday.
Although Aaron-Khai Xing are their juniors, Arif stressed that the standard of players in the squad has become more competitive.
“It’s difficult to separate the seniors and juniors; there’s really not much to differentiate between the pairs,” said Arif.
“Even if we play against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, it’s tough because our standards are all very close. We play among ourselves a lot, so meeting on court doesn’t really affect us.”
However, Arif-Roy King’s experience gave them the edge against Aaron-Khai Xing as they needed just 30 minutes to win the match.
It was their second win against their teammates following their first meeting at last year’s Thailand Open. Arif-Roy King last made the quarter-finals at the Kumamoto Masters in November and naturally they were happy.
“We’re glad we managed to get our breakthrough this year; it’s been some time since we made the quarter-finals. It’s our first for the year,” said Roy King.
Arif-Roy King will meet the United States’ Presley Smith-Chen Zhi Yi for a place in the semis.
The American duo had taken down veteran pair Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Azriyn Ayub in the second round. It was not the best birthday present for Wee Kiong, who turns 37, as he and Azriyn lost 14-21, 18-21 to Smith-Zhi Yi.
