KUALA LUMPUR — Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun stood tall today, ending Malaysia’s 12-year drought in men’s doubles at the Malaysia Masters with a superb 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 win over compatriots Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in an all-Malaysian final at the Axiata Arena.
But for the world No. 8 pair, lifting the trophy wasn’t just about making history — it was about proving a point.
Since winning the Indonesia Masters in January, their form had hit a brick wall. Early exits at the All England, Asian Championships, and Thailand Open raised familiar concerns about their ability to follow up one good result with another. This time, they were determined not to repeat that pattern.
“Ever since we won the title in Indonesia, we exited early in both the Asian Championships and the All England. We’ve been having discussions between ourselves and with the team on how to improve. After all, this kind of pattern has been recurring in recent years — we reach a final once, and then our performance drops afterwards,” said Wei Chong.
The pair pointed to stronger communication and a more focused mindset as reasons for their improvement, but were also quick to highlight the influence of head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, whose arrival this year has brought new structure and belief.
“Our communication has indeed improved now, and that’s why our performance has also gotten better.”
Additionally, Wei Chong noted that Aaron and Wooi Yik could also be experiencing a slight dip in form, having played in back-to-back finals recently.
“Their performance would definitely be affected, considering they’ve been competing every day recently. But for us, we didn’t think about the results — we just focused on our own performance and tried to do our best.”
“We still have to see how we perform in the upcoming tournaments. After all, we’ve experienced performance drops several times after reaching a final. Winning this title is a thing of today, but we will be well-prepared and hope to do our best in Singapore and Indonesia.”
Separately for Aaron and Wooi Yik, who won the Asian crown last month and the Thailand Open last week, it wasn’t the result they’d hoped for, but there were no excuses.
“They played better. We made more unforced errors,” said Aaron plainly.
Wooi Yik added: “We’re not in top condition physically, but that’s just part of the sport. You can’t complain — we’ve got Singapore and Indonesia coming up, and it’s a long way ahead.”
The two-time Olympic bronze medallists also gave credit to Herry for helping stabilise their game in recent months.
“Our play has become more solid and consistent,” said Aaron. “We’re still learning under him — adapting fast — but there’s already improvement.”
Wei Chong and Kai Wun, meanwhile, know that another test awaits — not in celebrating this win, but in backing it up at the Singapore and Indonesia Opens next. — May 25, 2025