PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Tee Kai Wun-Yap Roy King has taken a big step forward by becoming the first scratch pair to win a title in coach Herry Iman Pierngadi’s switch-and-swap experiment to find the best combo.
But the 25-year-old Roy King will not let the small success of winning the Super 300 get to his head.
Roy King and Kai Wun lifted their maiden title in only their third outing together at the Korean Masters on Sunday after defeating compatriots Man Wei Chong-Soh Wooi Yik.
Roy King’s previous first big title was also a Super 300 title with his previous partner Wan Arif Wan Junaidi at the Macau Open.
Although delighted to have bagged his first title this year, Roy King knows the partnership will face a sterner test at higher-level tournaments.
“I do feel this is a good start for us as a pair because we entered the final in only our third tournament,” said Roy King.
“It’s a huge improvement. But I don’t want to be satisfied just yet. This was just a Super 300 tournament. There are bigger events ahead.”
He admitted that the first-round exits at the China Open and Taiwan Open with Kai Wun were disappointing, but is glad to see they have the potential to achieve success.
“We really didn’t expect to win because our first two tournaments ended in the first round, but this time we won. So we can see big improvements.
“It feels unreal,” he said.
Roy King and Kai Wun will pause their new partnership as they team up with their former partners Arif and Wei Chong for the World Championships in New Delhi next week.
Wooi Yik will resume partnership with Aaron Chia, who reached the Taiwan Open final with his scratch partner Aaron Tai.
Herry believes the scratch pairs are starting to get comfortable with each other’s style of play, and it is translating to strong performances on court.
“We can see that their game plan is getting better and their understanding on court has improved,” said Herry.
“But every pair needs time to improve and develop. Right now for them, the results are not the main priority.
“Instead, we want to see how well they can improve with their new partners.”
