Kang Khai Xing says Malaysia Masters umpire drama frustrated him for ‘just a day', eyes World Tour comeback with Aaron Tai
KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Young doubles shuttler Kang Khai Xing is not one to wallow in self-pity or dwell on things for long.
And that explains why it took him just one day to get over the three controversial umpiring calls that went against him and his partner, Aaron Tai in their 10-21, 26-24, 16-21 loss to Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaardmen in the 2025 Malaysia Masters last week.
'That's over and done with, I've come to terms with it. I was frustrated for just a day. The next day (after the incident) I was okay. Hopefully, we can bounce back stronger in the next tournament,' the 19-year-old Khai Xing told reporters after a training session here today.
On Saturday (May 24), the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) said in a statement that they have made an official complaint to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) regarding the umpire's decisions, which were considered controversial during Khai Xing-Aaron's second-round clash against the Danes at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
According to BAM, three decisions made at crucial points of the match between Khai Xing-Aaron, the 2024 world junior champions, and Kjaer-Sogaard had significantly influenced the outcome, thus raising serious concerns over the fairness of play.
Meanwhile, Khai Xing admitted that he and Aaron are still adapting to the training style of national men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
'There is better chemistry between us but we still need to adapt to the coach's style of play that involves no lifting (of the shuttlecock) during training sessions... we hope to continue improving,' he said.
He also said that he and Aaron, who are ranked 53rd in the world, are still getting used to competing at a higher level, including against higher-ranked opponents.
Although they still have a lot of room for improvement, Khai Xing is still hopeful that he and Aaron can win at least one more World Tour title this year.
The pair are gearing up for three more tournaments this year: the Macau Open (July 29-Aug 3); Hong Kong Open (Sept 9-14); and Korea Open (Sept 23-28). — Bernama
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