PETALING JAYA: Aaron Tai will get another chance to prove his versatility when he partners Yap Roy King at the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, starting on Tuesday (Oct 5).
National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi has been encouraged by the 18-year-old’s performances since splitting him from Khang Khai Xing and testing him with different senior partners.
Aaron first partnered Aaron Chia and finished runners-up at the Taiwan Open before teaming up with Soh Wooi Yik at the China Masters.
Those performances have further convinced Herry that separating Aaron and Khai Xing was the right call, something he had already considered since the beginning of the year despite the pair initially being reluctant.
The two had been together for years and were crowned world junior champions in 2024.
"I had already seen it in training, but if I was the only one saying it, people might say it had not been proven," said Herry.
"But once we paired him with other players and gave him the chance, everyone could see it and judge for themselves. ''Personally, I already knew what he was capable of.
“The reason I wanted to separate Aaron and Khai Xing from the beginning was because there is a difference in their speed."
With most of Malaysia’s men’s doubles pairs withdrawing from the Arctic Open this week, Aaron-Roy King are set to be one of the pairs to watch.
They will open their campaign against fellow Malaysians Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Azriyn Ayub in the first round.
Khai Xing, meanwhile, will not compete in Europe with Wan Arif Wan Junaidi as the pair do not have enough ranking points to gain entry.
Herry, however, has other plans to help Khai Xing improve his game.
"He is not playing in Europe because he and Arif do not have enough ranking points, so they cannot get into the tournaments.
"At the moment, he is not quite ready to compete at that level. It is different with Aaron because we have tested him with other players and we can see the results.
"My message to Khai Xing is to be patient, improve his speed and power, and then we will try to find the right partner for him.
"But for now, it will not be Aaron," he added.
