The hand behind surge
PETALING JAYA: With a champion's mindset and a proven track record, legendary coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is reshaping Malaysia's men's doubles fortunes – just in time for the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31.
Since taking charge in February from Tan Bin Shen, the Indonesian tactician has wasted no time leaving his mark, guiding Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, and Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi to title wins.
All three pairs have made the cut for the world meet together with professionals Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, fulfilling the maximum representation in the event.
In the past, there used to be only one or two titles delivered by the doubles players in a year and usually the same pair would win it.
But under Herry, the overall depth of the men's doubles in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has improved.
The recent maiden World Tour win by Roy King-Arif in the Macau Open on Sunday showed that even the younger pairs in the team are all fired up.
With better results and the players showing more confidence in their game, it is a clear sign that Malaysia's chase for glory is gaining real momentum.
Herry believes the strong form shown by the pairs bodes well for Malaysia's chances of capturing gold in the men's doubles in Paris.
'It's good that we have four pairs heading to the World Championships in good form,' said Herry.
'When compared to other countries, Malaysia have a good chance to win the men's doubles title.
'The pairs under me are beginning to adapt to my coaching style and philosophy.
'When I first arrived, it was normal for the players to take some time to adapt.
'There would be ups and downs, and we saw it with all the pairs. Now, they are getting better.'
Before Roy King-Arif, world No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik had captured gold in the Asian Championships for the first time and went on to add the Thailand Open and Singapore Open to their list of honours, besides finishing runners-up in the China Open and Malaysian Masters.
World No. 7 Wei Chong-Kai Wun beat their teammates to win the Malaysian tourney to go with the Indonesian Masters crown.
World No. 4 Sze Fei-Izzuddin have also won a title this year – the Indian Open in January – and finished runners' up in the Japan Open last month.
This time, Herry can expect more than one pair to fight for honours at the world meet.
In 2022, Aaron-Wooi Yik created history when they became the first Malaysian shuttlers to clinch the world title in Tokyo.
The pair then won bronze in the last edition in 2023 in Copenhagen.
While Malaysia have been overly reliant on Aaron-Wooi Yik in the past, Sze Fei-Izzuddin and Wei Chong-Kai Wun's improvement raises hopes that they could fight for a medal too this time.
Both pairs will also have a better chance this time as being ranked in the world's top eight means that they will have an easier path to the quarter-finals.
Despite being underdogs, debutants Roy King-Arif too will not be short of confidence after their triumph in Macau and will be hoping to spring a surprise.
The seedings for the prestigious meet will be released on Friday while the draw will be out on Aug 13.
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