Rexy Mainaky admitted concerns over recent performances of top national men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, despite them helping Malaysia clinch the Asia Team Championships title.
Chia-Soh suffered the biggest upset of the tournament, after they lost in straight games to world No.857 pair Ayato Endo-Yuta Takei in their final group match against Japan.
The Malaysians bounced back to deliver two crucial points against South Korea and Indonesia in the semis and final, barely crossing the line on both occasions with closely fought victories.
“The worry is there, as they were clearly not at their best. But I am encouraged by their mindset to overcome the defeat to Japan when they played South Korea and Japan. We will be working closely with them to rectify the issues,” said the new coaching director who oversees the doubles department.
Rexy would have loved to see some more from Goh Szei Fei-Nur Izzuddin to make a better assessment of them, but did not get the chance to do so as the national team wrapped up the final in three games.
Commenting further on the doubles department, Rexy also wanted Valeree Siow to be more patient in her game.
Siow came in as a replacement for M. Thinaah to pair with Pearly Tan, and even though they did well against Japan and India, lost in straight games to South Korea in the semis.
“Valeree is still impatient and she made a lot of mistakes against South Korea. It will be a valuable lesson for her not to rush her shots and go for the kills too early,” he said, adding the team can be flexible to mix and match the shuttlers for the Uber Cup in May.
Rexy would get to further gauge the performances of his shuttlers as they prepare for the upcoming season opener in Europe.
The 2022 season begins with the German Open (March 8-13), followed by the All-England (March 16-20) and Swiss Open (March 22-27).
