PETALING JAYA: Independent pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi face a difficult passage to the quarter-finals of the Asian Championships in Dubai from April 25-30 where they could be troubled by South Koreans Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae in the preliminary rounds.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi, the world No. 8, open their campaign against M.R. Arjun-Druv Kapila of India in their opening round but German Open runners-up Min-hyuk-Seung-jae are capable of ending the Malaysians’ campaign early.
Independent coach Rosman Razak said that this is the reality they have to face in the men’s doubles scene where the top 20 pairs are capable of beating each other and their performance of the day becomes decisive during difficult matches.
“The top 30 pairs compete in almost every tournament and it is normal to face tough opposition in the first or second round. Yew Sin-Ee Yi have to accept this and be prepared,” said Rosman.
“Any pair in the top 20 are capable of beating each other and this is why we regularly see upsets in the first two rounds.
“There is also an increase in tournaments on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world tour. It is normal for shuttlers to play up to 22 tournaments a year as everyone is trying to maintain their world rankings.
“World No. 1 Fajar Alfian and Rian (Ardianto of Indonesia) are probably the only pair who have reached at least the quarter-finals in all tournaments this but they too are beatable.
“Indonesia have three pairs in the top 10 while China, Korea and Taiwan have at least three strong pairs in the top 30.
“Yew Sin-Ee Yi’s main target is to qualify for the Olympics and they must be ready to bounce back from defeats constantly to stay in the hunt.”
A quarter-final clash against Fajar-Rian could be the reward for good performance in the preliminary rounds but they may not want to look too far ahead and deal with the Koreans first.
World No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik also have tough first round encounter against Thailand and Indonesia Masters champions Leo Rolly-Daniel Marthin in the first round.
