25-05-2025
Wei Chong-Kai Wun hope home success will break their tendency of being inconsistent
True heroes: Champions Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (in blue) posing with runners-up Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik after the men's doubles final. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles shuttlers Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun hope their success in the Malaysian Masters will mark the start of a more consistent run for them on the big stage.
Inconsistency has been Wei Chong-Kai Wun's biggest challenge, with the pair known for winning one or two titles a year but losing in the early rounds in the rest of their tournaments.
The duo are keen to put an end to this issue and become a more solid pair.
Yesterday, Wei Chong-Kai Wun captured their second title of the year in the Malaysian Masters after battling hard to upstage senior teammates Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 in 50 minutes at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
It was a statement victory for the world No. 8 as they crowned their fine run which also included stunning wins over world No. 2 home pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (last eight) and Japan's 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (semi-finals).
Wei Chong-Kai Wun also ended the long wait for a home men's doubles champion in the tourney after Goh V Shem-Lim Kim Wah were the last winners in 2013.
The pair, who added to their Indonesian Masters triumph in January, were pleased with the win but believe the real test will be for them to maintain their form.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun's performances dipped after their title win in Indonesia before they regained their form in the home tourney.
'After Indonesia, we lost in the early rounds in all our tournaments. We discussed how to become more consistent as for the past few years, we will win a tournament, then tend to lose in early rounds,' said Wei Chong.
'So, we have been finding ways to try to make our performances more solid.
'Our test will be in the next few tournaments because we have not managed to maintain our form before this.
'Today (yesterday), we are champions but tomorrow (today) we need to prepare again for our next tournaments,' added Wei Chong.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who turned around their form superbly after suffering a second round defeat in the Thailand Open last week, believe that they are slowly getting better under coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
Indonesian Herry replaced Tan Bin Shen as the men's doubles head coach in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in February.
'We are slowly adapting to Herry's coaching methods. After losing early last week, he has been trying to improve our mental strength,' said Kai Wun.
'We did well in this tournament. We were quite consistent here, so we need to keep up this mentality.
'It's really special to win at home as many supporters came to cheer for both pairs in the final. The atmosphere was great and it feels different compared to winning overseas.'
Meanwhile, world No. 3 Aaron-Wooi Yik were also reasonably satisfied with their efforts after reaching three finals in just two months.
The pair captured the Asian Championships last month and the Thailand Open last week and were understandably not at their best physically in the final.
'Today (yesterday), Wei Chong-Kai Wun played better than us. We made too many unforced errors and this contributed to our defeat,' said Aaron.
'Our performance here was still acceptable but we still have lots to improve.'
Wooi Yik said: 'We have to admit that our condition was not 100 percent but this is a challenge every player faces.
'This is the challenge for us to get better but this is not the reason we lost. I think we can do better.'
Both Wei Chong-Kai Wun and Aaron-Wooi Yik will next turn their attention to the Singapore Open which starts tomorrow.
FINAL RESULTS
Men's singles: Li Shifeng (Chn) bt K. Srikanth (Ind) 21-11, 21-9.
Men's doubles: Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun bt Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 21-12, 15-21, 21-16.
Women's singles: Wang Zhiyi (Chn) bt Han Yue (Chn) 13-21, 21-13, 21-18.
Women's doubles: Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning (Chn) bt Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) 21-17, 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) 21-17, 14-21, 21-16.
