PETALING JAYA: Two months may not be a long time, but Tee Kai Wun hopes it will be enough for him and Man Wei Chong to work their way back into the world’s top 10 before the end of 2026.
Like their seniors Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who were previously split before being reunited, Kai Wun-Wei Chong are also set to stay together in the build-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
However, after spending five months apart and only reuniting briefly for the World Championships in New Delhi in August, the pair have slipped from a career-high world No. 4 to No. 12.
With only a handful of tournaments left this year, Kai Wun knows he and Wei Chong need to make the most of their outings at the Denmark Open starting next Tuesday and the French Open the week after.
"We hope we can get back into the top 10 or top eight, but it will take some time because we have missed quite a number of tournaments," said Kai Wun.
"There are probably only four or five tournaments left before the end of the year, so we will try our best to get our ranking back up."
In Odense, Kai Wun-Wei Chong are scheduled to face Denmark’s Christian Faust Kjaer-Rasmus Kjaer in the opening round.
Despite hoping for a good result, Kai Wun is not setting any specific target as his main priority is to regain his rhythm with Wei Chong after their disappointment at the World Championships.
Their campaign in New Delhi ended in the third round after Kai Wun came down with fever and diarrhoea, forcing them to withdraw before their match against Aaron-Wooi Yik.
Even his Asian Games debut with Aaron three weeks ago did not go as hoped, with the pair losing in the second round to Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
"I’m not setting the target too high. I just want to focus on my own performance.
