2 days ago
Veterans still on fire
Rough patch: Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Azriyn Ayub suffered seven consecutive first-round exits since the German Open in February.
PETALING JAYA: Even before today's second-round matches get under way, Malaysia are already assured of having at least two men's doubles pairs in the quarter-finals of the Indonesian Open.
World No. 1 duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will face veterans Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Azriyn Ayub, while Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are set to take on Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi in another all-Malaysian clash.
For Wee Kiong-Azriyn, there was a sense of relief after they finally cleared the opening round on Tuesday, defeating China's Xie Haonan-Zeng Weihan 21-17, 21-12.
The pair had suffered seven consecutive first-round exits since the German Open in February.
Ironically, the last time they progressed beyond the first round was also in Jakarta, at the Indonesia Masters on January where they were stopped by the same Chinese pair.
'Our last meeting with Haonan-Weihan was here in Indonesia, so we didn't have much confidence at the start. But after a few rallies, Azriyn found his rhythm. He led the way today (Tuesday) and we got back on track,' said Wee Kiong in an interview with BWF.
'For me, it's about using my experience to guide us. I let Azriyn do most of the court coverage as we try to close the gap with the top pairs. Hopefully, we can keep up this momentum.'
Wee Kiong, 36, and Azriyn, 31, know they are no longer in their prime, but beyond chasing victories, they are also looking to enjoy the matches they play. In their past three meetings, Wee Kiong-Azriyn have only beaten Sze Fei-Izzuddin once, during the second round of the Kumamoto Masters last year. However, in their most recent clash at the Indian Open in March, they fell to the younger pair.
'At our age, we're still trying to achieve something. Of course, we want to enjoy the game and create something special in our careers.
'We've managed to clear the first hurdle, but we have to stay focused,' he added.
It was a similar story in the men's doubles, as Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi and Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri both crashed out in the first round. Ee Yi-Yew Sin continued to struggle with their early-round woes after going down to China's Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang. The Malaysian pair put up a strong resistance, but it wasn't enough to prevent the fourth seeds from claiming a 21-23, 20-22 win.
Hon Jian-Haikal, meanwhile, found the going tough against former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi, losing tamely 13-21, 9-21.
