30-05-2025
Bad line calls fuel Aaron-Khai Xing's fire for first World Tour title
KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing have put last week's umpiring controversy at the Malaysia Masters behind them as they refocus on chasing their maiden World Tour title.
The world No. 53 were left frustrated by three poor line calls from Swiss umpire Peter Meszaros during their narrow second-round defeat to Denmark's world No. 16 Rasmus Kjaer- Frederik Sogaard (21-10, 24-26, 21-16) at Axiata Arena.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has since lodged an official complaint with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) over the standard of officiating.
"We were quite frustrated after the incident, but we got over it within a day," said Khai Xing.
"The whole episode has actually made us mentally stronger. If it happens again, we'll be ready."
The pair, who are reigning world junior champions, are now turning their attention to improving their performances and hope to land at least a Super 300 title this season.
Khai Xing added that national coach Herry IP has been pushing him to develop more power and consistency from the baseline.
"The coaches want me to be more lethal from the backcourt. I've got to add more sting to my attacking game."
He also admitted that starting slow has been a recurring issue for the pair.
"We often take time to settle into matches - that's something we really need to fix to achieve better results."
Aaron-Khai Xing are preparing for the Macau Open on July 29-Aug 3, followed by the Hong Kong Open (Sept 9-14) and Korea Open (Sept 23-28).
The pair are aiming to crack the world's top 32, which would open the door to play in the elite Super 750 and Super 1000 events.
