PETALING JAYA: National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi wants Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to return from Europe with at least one trophy as they look to rebuild their confidence after being reunited.
Herry has already mapped out the pair’s post-Asian Games campaign, with Denmark, France and the Hylo Open providing three opportunities to rediscover their best form.
And while no official key performance indicator (KPI) has been set, Herry believes Aaron-Wooi Yik should win at least one title from the three tournaments.
“There is no specific KPI, but whenever we compete, we want the best possible result. From the three tournaments, they should win at least one title, whether in Denmark, France or at the Hylo Open,” said Herry.
“It is important to rebuild their confidence. They did quite well at the World Championships and now they need more time together.
“There is no specific KPI, but personally, I feel they should win one of these tournaments.”
The pair’s European campaign will begin after the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which run from Sept 19-Oct 4.
Herry has withdrawn three scratch combinations from the Arctic Open in Finland from Oct 6-11 after Aaron-Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun were reunited with their original partners following the recent trial with different combinations.
Aaron had initially been entered with Kai Wun, while Wooi Yik was due to partner Choong Hon Jian. Wei Chong-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi have also been withdrawn.
With the original partnerships restored, Herry saw little reason to continue with the experimental combinations, especially with the Arctic Open coming just days after the Asian Games.
“The first reason is that it is too close to the Asian Games. They only have about a week after the Games and I don’t think there will be enough time to prepare for the Arctic Open, so we decided not to go,” said Herry.
“The second reason is that they have already committed to returning to their original partners, so I don’t think there is any need to play at the Arctic Open.”
Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King will be the only pair under Herry competing at the Arctic Open.
