'Water was dripping onto my head': Arif-Roy Kong on strange road to glory
Despite the constant disruptions, he and his partner Yap Roy King powered through to win their first World Tour title.
A leaky roof at the Macau East Asian Games Dome disrupted the final day of the tournament, with world No. 24 Arif-Roy King having to endure interruptions in almost every rally due to constant court-mopping.
Despite the chaos, Arif was relieved they managed to prevail, beating Indonesia's world No. 8 Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi 22-20, 21-18, avenging their defeat in the Spain Masters final in March 2024.
"We were quite distracted by the situation. Water was literally dripping onto my head when I jumped to smash," said Arif.
"I just reminded myself that the opponents were going through the same thing. So, I had to stay 100 per cent focused."
Still, Arif said the win was hugely satisfying.
"We've been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"We lost to the same pair in our previous final (Spain Masters) last year, so it feels good to finally get our revenge."
The 80-minute contest — unusually long for a straight-game encounter — told its own story, as both pairs struggled to maintain momentum.
The Indonesians eventually cracked under the pressure and lost patience amid the frequent stoppages for court drying.
Arif also credited men's doubles coach Herry IP for playing a key role in keeping them calm and helping them finally adapt to his philosophy.
"We struggled at first with coach Herry's tactics, but after five tournaments under him, we're starting to click," said Arif.
"Sabar-Reza had a 3-0 record over us, but coach Herry's guidance, including video analysis before the final, made a huge difference. His presence courtside also gave us more confidence."
The roof leak didn't just affect Arif-Roy King.
It also disrupted the men's singles final.
National coach K. Yogendran revealed that world No. 45 Justin Hoh was wary of picking up an injury due to the slippery court and wasn't able to play his natural game.
He fell tamely to Indonesian world No. 25 Alwi Farhan, 21-15, 21-5.
The mixed doubles final faced fewer issues — world No. 127 Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing went down to Denmark's Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje.
Despite the poor venue conditions, BA of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh refrained from blaming the organisers, instead praising Arif-Roy King's composure.
"We're proud of how Arif-Roy King handled the situation despite the multiple stoppages due to the roof leak. It showed real maturity and focus," said Kenny.
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