PETALING JAYA: Let the opponents scratch their heads over the unfamiliar pairing of Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun.
The spotlight is now on the unseeded Aaron-Kai Wun as they begin their campaign in the Asian Games individual competition today at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.
The duo have been handed a tough draw, but national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi believes their status as a scratch pair could work in their favour.
"One thing is certain, our opponents will want to know how they play together,” said Herry.
Based on the draw released yesterday, Aaron-Kai Wun are scheduled to face top seeds and world No. 1 Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae of South Korea in the second round.
They should get past Tajikistan’s Odilzhon Abdurakhimov-Dzhumaboi Saidov in the opening round while the Koreans have been given a first round bye.
Herry believes Aaron-Kai Wun can still pose a threat despite having played together only twice this year, with their unfamiliarity as a pair potentially making it harder for opponents to read their game.
"They saw them at the Thomas Cup Finals and in the recent Asian Games team event, but even then it was still not very clear," said Herry.
"For me, that could give us an element of surprise and perhaps an advantage.
"We can study our opponents, but they cannot study us."
Aaron-Kai Wun previously won the men’s doubles gold at the 2018 Perak Sukma, but their only outing together at senior international level this year came against Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi during the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens in April.
They also showed encouraging signs in the men’s team quarter-final against Indonesia a few days ago, delivering a point for Malaysia by beating Leo Rolly-Daniel Marthin before the team eventually went down 3-2.
Malaysia’s other medal hope, independent pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, will begin their campaign against Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Wang Chi-lin.
Victory would likely set up a second round meeting with former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan, who will first face Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Jumar-Moajjam Ohidul.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin needs to pull up their socks after losing tamely to Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri in the quarter-finals of the team event to justify their selection in the Asian Games squad.
