KUALA LUMPUR — Following a historic all-Malaysian men’s doubles final at the Malaysia Masters, national head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi and coaching director Rexy Mainaky believe the country is entering its strongest era in the discipline.
“This is Malaysia’s best era in men’s doubles,” said Rexy after Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun claimed the title by defeating their senior compatriots Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in three games, 21-12, 15-21, 21-16.
“We now have multiple pairs in the top tier — not just Aaron (Chia) and (Soh) Wooi Yik, or (Man) Wei Chong and (Tee) Kai Wun, but also other players like Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing, among others.”
Rexy, who previously oversaw Malaysia’s doubles programme in the mid-2000s, said the current depth — including rising pairs such as Khai Xing and Aaron, and Fazriq Razif and Bryan Jeremy Goonting — was reminiscent of a golden generation.
“Back then, we had strong pairs consistently ranked in the world’s top 15. Now, together with coach Herry, we’re building something similar again,” he added.
Herry, who coached several top Indonesian pairs before joining BAM earlier this year, was full of praise for both finalist pairs — particularly Wei Chong and Kai Wun, who ended a 12-year title drought for Malaysian men’s doubles at the Malaysia Masters.
“This was a really good performance from both sides,” said Herry.
“To have an all-Malaysian final, it shows the programme is heading in the right direction. For a coach, that’s more than we could ask for.”
Herry said Wei Chong and Kai Wun had managed to hit their peak again in Kuala Lumpur after struggling for form following their win at the Indonesia Masters in January.
“After that win, their performance dropped — we lost early at the All England, the Asian Championships, and in Thailand. So we went back, reviewed the footage, analysed what went wrong, and worked from there,” said Herry.
“The structure of the programme in Malaysia is quite similar to what I used in Indonesia. But here, the biggest difference lies in the game planning — and how we make tactical adjustments.”
The legendary Indonesian, nicknamed the Fire Dragon, believes that while results may fluctuate, long-term success will depend on how consistently the pairs execute their strategies.
“For now, I’m happy with the progress,” Herry concluded. — May 25, 2025