KUALA LUMPUR − National men’s doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun must learn to be calmer when faced with pressure on the court, said Badminton Association of Malaysia doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
The Indonesian said this was one of the pair’s weaknesses that need to be worked on, although the pair, who won the men’s doubles title at the recent Syed Modi India International championships in Lucknow, India, were strong defensively.
“I am happy with their result but there are many aspects to their game that still need to be improved on, especially about being cool under pressure.
“Their victory in India is an early step for them to reach a higher level and much needs to be done to prepare them for that level,” he told reporters after yesterday’s training session at Akademi Badminton Malaysia.
In the final at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium on Sunday, the sixth-seeded Wei Chong-Kai Wun defeated India’s eighth-seeded Krishna Garaga-Vishnuvardhan Panjala 21-18, 21-15 in 33 minutes.
Rexy said their excellent achievement in India had paved the way for them to be considered as the country’s third doubles pair in the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) 2022 to be held at the Setia City Convention Centre in Shah Alam, Selangor from February 15-20 behind 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik as well as Nur Izzuddin Rumsani-Goh Sze Fei.
However, Rexy admitted that he would also need to evaluate the inspiring performance put up by professional pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi after they reached the semi-finals of the 2021 World Championships in Huelva, Spain before deciding on who deserves to be named as the country’s third pair at the BATC 2022.
As for women’s doubles, he feels that Swiss Open 2021 winners Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah as well as the recent Syed Modi India International championships winners Anna Ching-Teoh Mei Xing have the potential to be listed for the BATC 2022.
Anna-Mei Xing − seeded eighth in the India tournament − needed only 32 minutes to beat seventh-seeded home pair Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela 21-12, 21-13.
Rexy said he is now focusing on rectifying the players’ weaknesses, especially in the last few tournaments, including in Indonesia and Europe, to ensure the national squad will be ready to put up a stiff challenge at the BATC 2022. – Bernama, January 26, 2022
