KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — National men’s badminton doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun do not see the challenges in the Malaysia Open which starts tomorrow any easier despite the withdrawal of several players from the tournament.
The Malaysian due who have just recovered from injuries described the level of intensity in the championship as the same as almost all players have the capabilities to give fierce competition at international level.
The pair ranked 38th in the world will be opening their campaign against world number eight pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty of India in the first round, and they are however confident of gearing up to the call.
“We did not think much (on players who withdrew ) as we are only concerned about our performance as we know all opponents are no pushovers,” Wei Chong told reporters after the training session at Axiata Arena here today.
Kai Wun is also excited to return to the court before local fans and will give their best in the tournament which was cancelled for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pair was forced to withdraw from the SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam last month, when Wei Chong sustained a knee injury while Kai Wun hurt his ankle after assisting Malaysia to clinch a silver medal in the men’s team event.
Among the doubles pairs who withdrew from the competition were world one number doubles Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo-Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and reigning Asian champions Pramudya Kusumawardana-Yeremia Rambitan, both from Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said the line-up of coaches with the medical and physiotherapy teams would continue to monitor Wei Chong-Kai Wun in two tournaments in Axiata Arena — Malaysia Open and Malaysia Master.
“For the time being the physiotherapist allowed them to play but we will monitor them in terms of movements in the court before deciding to send them to championships such as Singapore Open and Taipei Open,” he said.
Commenting on the challenges in the doubles category including men’s, women’s and mixed doubles at the Malaysian Open, Rexy opined that the competition would not be easy even when some challengers withdrew.
“It’s not necessarily easier because we will still be fighting with combinations from India, Denmark, Japan and South Korea. This means the challenge is still intense, so it is up to our players to give their best and fight all the way.
“So far today we have doubles in good condition, especially after training with the Taiwanese, Polish and French teams, the week of training is of top quality. So our players are all ready for the Malaysia Open,” he said. — Bernama
