Latest news with #HerryImanPierngadi
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
4th title beckons but tough road awaits Aaron-Wooi Yik in Jakarta
World No 3 men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik credit their recent successes to their new coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi. (Instagram pic) PETALING JAYA : A breath of fresh air seems to have permeated the Malaysian badminton scene recently, thanks to some superb performances by the men's doubles pairs. At the forefront of this is world No 3 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who have already created a personal record of winning three titles in a year – the Badminton Asia Championships in April, the Thailand Open in May, and the Singapore Open on Sunday. Hot on their heels and showing lots of promise are world No 7 pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who have won two titles this year – the Indonesian Masters in January, and the Malaysia Masters last month, where they defeated Aaron-Wooi Yik in the final. As for world No 2 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, there have been some disappointments this season after they won the India Open in January. They were eliminated in the early rounds in most of the other tournaments. They had done well before this, winning three titles in 2023, and another three last year. At the centre of these improved performances appears to be the new Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) doubles coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi, who had engineered Indonesia's success in the men's doubles pairs previously. Aaron-Wooi Yik were quick to credit their recent successes to their new coach, also known as the 'Fire Dragon' back home, saying he had polished their game leading to their consistent performances. The question in the minds of Malaysian badminton fans is whether the duo, who are currently in top form, can go on to make it four titles in a year by winning the Indonesia Open, which starts today. Tough draw and venue While their current form and a great coach can work in their favour, the Indonesia Open's draw is expected to present them with some of their biggest obstacles. Drawn in the top half of the World Tour 1000 series, the Malaysians are likely to face three strong pairs before they even reach the semi-finals. In their opening tie, Aaron-Wooi Yik will have to face Denmark's world No 16 pair Frederik Sogaard-Rasmus Kjaer, whom they defeated 21-19, 24-22 at the Malaysia Masters. En route to the semi-finals, they could meet former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan, and India's Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. Aaron-Wooi Yik could also face compatriots Wei Chong-Kai Wun and home pair Leo Rolly Carmando-Bagus Maulana. Former national player and coach James Selvaraj pointed out that Aaron-Wooi Yik have beaten these pairs several times, and that devising the right strategies with their coach would be key. While the Indonesia Open's venue – the Istora Stadium in Jakarta – has been known to be especially unfriendly to Malaysian players, Selvaraj said Aaron-Wooi Yik have grown in mental strength in recent tournaments, even making comebacks from the brink of defeat. 'Many Malaysian players seemed to have lacked this in the past but this quality is now being displayed by Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun. 'This augurs well for a possible fourth title in a year for Aaron-Wooi Yik,' he told FMT. Selvaraj added that overall consistency, which was lacking in the past, seems to be showing in these two pairs. 'Let's root for them to do it again.' At last year's Indonesia Open, Aaron-Wooi Yik were knocked out in the second round, while Wei Chong-Kai Wun were runners-up. The Indonesian Open offers total prize money of US$1.45 million. In the doubles events, the champions will pocket US$107,000 while the runners-up take home US$50,750.
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Fire Dragon Herry stays cool ahead of 'hot' reception in Istora for first time
Coach Herry Iman Pierngadi (third from right) with the players. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: For the first time in three decades, badminton coach Herry Iman Pierngadi will be sitting on the opposing side at his home 'Istora Senayan' in Jakarta during the Indonesian Open. Herry, as the new and successful doubles coach in Malaysia in just less than five months, may receive 'hot' reception from his home fans when the competition starts on Tuesday (June 3) but he is cool with it. The 62-year-old Herry, who arrived in Jakarta on June 2 (Monday), said he knows where he stands. "This is the first time in 30 years that I will be in Istora but not with the Indonesian does feel weird in some way," said Herry. Herry, who is also known as Fire Dragon in the badminton community, has seen many Indonesian stars winning under his guidance at the home meet in Istora since the 1990s, including Rexy Mainaky-Ricky Subagja, Tony Gunawan-Candra Wijaya, Sigit Budiarto-Candra, Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto, Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan, and Hendra-Mohammad Ahsan. "But this is a professional job, and my allegiance is now with Malaysia as the coach and I've a duty to guide my players in the Indonesian Open," added Herry. On Sunday, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik won their third title under Herry's leadership when they lifted the Singapore Open. They also had won the Asian Championships and Thailand Open titles. Last week, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun emerged as the Malaysian Masters champions after beating Aaron-Wooi Yik in a rare all-Malaysian men's doubles final at home. Malaysia last won the doubles title in Indonesia through Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari in 2008. Hope will be on Aaron-Wooi Yik, Wei Chong-Kai Wun and professionals Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who had just last week attained the world No. 1 status, to end the 17-year wait for a men's doubles title in Istora.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Third time's a charm: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik reign supreme in Singapore
SINGAPORE, June 2 — Malaysia's national men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik continued their impressive run this season when they won the Singapore Open yesterday. The Malaysians came back from a set down to beat fifth seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea 15-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a 65-minute thriller at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, their third title this year following their victories at the Badminton Asia Championships in April and the Thailand Open in May. 'Their condition was very good. After the first set, I knew we needed to increase our speed. So we just pushed very hard for every point,' Wooi Yik told reporters as he credited coach Herry Iman Pierngadi for playing a major role in their recent performances, especially in refining their attacking gameplay. 'Coach really plays a very big role. He is the one with the idea of how to complete our gameplay, which was previously inconsistent. But it's still a long journey, we still have a big mission this year, so I feel this is just the start for us, he said. Aaron meanwhile said that their coach has been instrumental in motivating them, both in matches and training sessions. 'He's only been with us for three months, so we're still learning from him. I think we still need time, but overall, we've improved. He gives us a lot of confidence during training. He doesn't put a lot of pressure on us. He also reminds us to be happy every day,' he said. The duo said their next focus would be the Indonesia Open, scheduled for June 3 to 8 at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, where they are slated to take on Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard, whom they defeated in the opening round in Singapore. The last time Malaysia won in Singapore was in 2018, through mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie, while the last Malaysian men's doubles to win was Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari in 2008. — Bernama
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
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
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun seize opportunity to defeat ‘tired' Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to lift Malaysia Masters crown
KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — The demanding schedule faced by 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik is believed to have given an advantage to national men's doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun to overcome their seniors in the Malaysia Masters 2025 final here today, though credit must go for their hardwork. Wei Chong-Kai Wun, entering as the fifth seeds, clinched their maiden title in the tournament by surprising the fourth seeds in the final at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, with scores of 21-12, 15-21, 21-16, in a match that lasted 50 minutes. This victory redeemed their disappointment of being runners-up in the 2023 edition. Kai Wun said they seized the opportunity after realizing that Aaron-Wooi Yik had reached two consecutive finals within a week, after a hard-fought victory at the Thailand Open 2025 last week, defeating William Kryger Boe-Christian Faust Kjaer of Denmark, 20-22, 21-17, 21-12 in the final. 'Perhaps their performance was slightly affected and their condition slowed down after playing almost every day lately. We played without pressure and didn't think about champion or runners-up; the important thing was to prioritise our performance today,' he told reporters here today. Wei Chong said the communication aspect on court with his partner has also improved after facing a poor run of form previously. The 25-year-old also appreciated the role played by national men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, who helped strengthen their mental resilience during difficult times. After winning the Indonesia Masters 2025 by defeating home favourites Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto, 21-11, 21-19 last January, the world's eighth-ranked pair's performance dipped, with early exits in four consecutive tournaments, before enjoying the taste of success today. Kai Wun, delighted with their first home victory, especially over teammates Aaron-Wooi Yik, hopes to maintain the current momentum for the Singapore Open 2025 (May 27-June 1) followed by the Indonesia Open (June 3-8). 'Playing at home is very special to the point where fans didn't know which side to support, but we are happy because first and second place belonged to Malaysian pairs,' he said. Meanwhile, Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are Olympic Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 bronze medalists, admitted that their performance level has not yet reached 100 per cent after just winning the Thailand Open 2025 last week. According to Aaron, they still made many unforced errors and will discuss with the coaching staff, especially Herry, who joined the national squad since last February, to improve any shortcomings. 'Our gameplay is more solid compared to before and more consistent. We have only been with coach Herry for a few months. So, we are still in the learning period and trying to adapt as fast as possible with him,' he said. When asked whether local badminton fans can expect to see more 'internal battles' in upcoming tournaments, Wooi Yik is optimistic that this can be realized if the national men's doubles pairs continue to maintain their momentum and excellent performance. 'Our men's doubles is very strong. I hope we can maintain this and we have much more mission to go. It's not end here yet. I think we have much much more mission like World Championships and Olympic Games,' he said. Wei Chong-Kai Wun's victory ended a 12-year wait for Malaysia after Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah won the Malaysia Masters in 2013. In the 2023 edition, Wei Chong-Kai Wun finished as runners-up after losing to South Korean pair Kang Min Hyuk-Seo Seung Jae, 15-21, 24-22, 19-21. — Bernama
