PETALING JAYA: No coach can sit easy when their player slips out of the world’s top 100.
And Nova Armada is no exception, with the coach alarmed by his charge Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin’s (pic) slide from world No. 39 to No. 101.
Nova is hoping Aidil can go all the way to the ongoing Taiwan Masters final to boost his world ranking and improve his chances of competing in bigger tournaments next year and was relieved to see Aidil reach the quarter-finals yesterday.
The 26-year-old Aidil cruised past Japan’s Kosuke Masumoto 21-10, 21-6 in the third round at the Kaohsiung Arena to set up meeting against South Korea’s Kim Hae-dun today.
Nova admitted he had been concerned about Aidil’s form, particularly his tendency to struggle in the early rounds when facing stronger opponents and believes there is still more work to be done.
“I had initially set him a target of reaching the final at the Malaysia Super 100, but he couldn’t achieve it,” said Nova.
“Aidil often struggles in the early rounds of tournaments, but once he gets through them, his game becomes more stable. He tends to lose when he faces stronger opponents in the first round.
“Fortunately, he managed to beat Taiwan’s Chen Yu-cheng this time. In the second round, he faced Japan’s Shogo Ogawa, who had given Lee Zii Jia a tough fight at the Australian Open, but Aidil managed to get past him as well.
“Against the Korean player, I hope he can maintain his form. I’m confident he can win, provided he stays focused,” said Nova.
Nova is hoping Aidil can go as far as possible in Taiwan to collect valuable ranking points and put himself in a better position to qualify for higher-tier tournaments next year.
“Hopefully, he can reach the final. After that, I’ve also entered him for three more tournaments in India to help him earn more ranking points.
“The hope is that he can compete in bigger tournaments next year, such as the Malaysian Open, especially now that the men’s singles draw has been expanded to 48 players,” he added.
Besides Aidil, Justin Hoh will also be in action today when he takes on Taiwan’s Kuo Kuan-lin, the 2022 world junior champion.
However, compatriot Eogene Ewe failed to join them in the quarter-finals after losing 6-21, 16-21 to Indonesia’s second seed Richie Duta yesterday.
