PETALING JAYA: Just one week after falling agonisingly short against Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, national men’s doubles pair Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing have been handed an immediate chance to rewrite the script.
The rapidly improving Malaysians will meet the world No. 4 Indians in the opening round of the Super 1000 Indonesian Open, with the clash offering far more than revenge – it is another opportunity to prove they belong among badminton’s elite after pushing the Singapore Open champions to three games last week.
Men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said the duo have been showing significant improvement in their game, evident when they forced the Indian pair to a rubber game in Singapore before bowing out.
“I can see that there are improvements in their tactics and how they play on court,” said Herry.
“Although they lost in Singapore, they gave a very strong fight. It’s a good experience for them to be competing at the highest levels.
“With the experience, they are getting closer to challenging the top 10 players.”
Their record stands at 1-1 as Aaron-Khai Xing, the world No 27, won their first encounter at the All-England in March.
Meanwhile, Satwiksairaj-Chirag will be heading to Indonesia feeling extra motivated after clinching the Super 750 Singapore Open title, defeating Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri 18-21, 21-17, 21-16 in the final yesterday.
The Asian champions are coming off a hot run after finishing second at the Super 500 Thailand Open two weeks ago.
RESULTS
Men’s singles: Alex Lanier (Fra) bt Loh Kean Yew (Sin) 17-21, 21-15, 21-14.
Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind) bt Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri (Ina) 18-21, 21-17, 21-16.
Women’s singles: An Se-young (Kor) bt Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) 21- 11, 17-21, 21-19.
Women’s doubles: Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) bt Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning (Chn) 22-20, 21-19.
Mixed doubles: Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje (Den) bt Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara (Jpn) 17-21, 21-12, 21-12.
