Cheers to Wei Chong-Kai Wun for fighting on despite hostile atmosphere
National men's doubles shuttlers Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in action against compatriots Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the final match of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Sunday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are feeling positive about their performance in the Indonesian Open despite seeing their run in the men's doubles end in the semi-finals.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun were hoping to repeat or better their feat last year where they finished runners-up to China's Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang but narrowly went down 18-21, 21-12, 18-21 to homesters Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Saturday.
The world No. 7 pair had come out on top over world No. 8 Sabar-Moh at the same stage last year but the latter, spurred on by their passionate fans, exacted revenge this time.
Despite the defeat, Wei Chong-Kai Wun believe they have plenty to be happy about, especially their fighting spirit in a hostile atmosphere.
In the deciding game, the pair were 14-20 behind but refused to give up easily and nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback by grabbing four points.
"It's not easy to play in Istora. Our opponents did very well too," said Wei Chong in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
"During the crucial points at the end, we just gave our best as we had nothing to lose. We just wanted to enjoy our game.
"For us, it's important to trust each other and keep supporting each other no matter what."
Kai Wun said: "Our momentum is quite stable until now and I'm very happy for this. We hope we can keep maintaining our mentality and mindset like this.
"In the men's doubles, anyone can win, so every rally counts. As long as the match is not over, we have to keep trying."
Wei Chong-Kai Wun have found some consistency lately after struggling to maintain their form earlier in the year.
The pair captured the Indonesian Masters title atthe same venue in January but suffered early round exits in the Orleans Masters, All-England, Asian Championships and Thailand Open.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun then bounced back spectacularly to win the Malaysian Masters crown and made it into the last eight in the Singapore Open before the semi-final finish in Indonesia.
The duo notably pulled off an impressive win over India's former world No. 1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty for the first time in five meetings en route to reaching the last four.
Men's doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is satisfied with his charges' overall showing in the tourney.
"Man-Tee's performance in this tournament is quite good. For me, reaching the semi-finals in the Indonesian Open is a good achievement," said Herry.
"They managed to beat the Indian pair in straight games after losing to them four times previously.
"Although they lost today (Saturday) and could not make it into the final, they have gained a lot of experience playing in this tournament this time."
Wei Chong-Kai Wun will next have a well-deserved break from competitions before turning their focus to the back-to-back Japan Open (July 15-20) and China Open (July 22-27).
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