Kuala Lumpur — After capturing the mixed doubles gold medal at the 2025 BWF World Championships in Paris, Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei will take a more strategic approach to future tournaments, says their coach Nova Widianto.
Having secured an automatic slot at the 2025 BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, the pair no longer needs to participate in every Super Series tournament to accumulate ranking points. Instead, they will now prioritize key events such as the China Masters (Sept 16–21), Denmark Open (Oct 14–19), and French Open (Oct 21–26).
“I think we’ll start selecting tournaments more carefully from now on,” said Nova. “Previously, they had to join many tournaments to qualify for the Finals, but now that spot is secured.”
While Super 750 and Super 1000 events will remain a priority, the coaching team will evaluate Super 500 participation based on performance readiness and strategic planning.
👟 Light Training Resumes, Hong Kong Open Unconfirmed
Nova also confirmed that Chen-Toh have resumed light training upon returning to Malaysia, gradually easing back into form following their emotional win over China’s Jiang Zhen Bang–Wei Ya Xin (21-15, 21-14) in just 40 minutes.
Their participation in the Hong Kong Open is still undecided and will depend on their physical readiness and training progress.
🏆 Coach Nova’s Bigger Mission: Break China’s Dominance
Nova Widianto isn’t stopping at one world title. He’s determined to break China’s mixed doubles stronghold and elevate Malaysia to become the world’s top badminton mixed doubles nation.
“China is still the dominant force, especially due to their strong female players,” Nova stated. “But the victory of Tang Jie–Ee Wei proves that they’re not unbeatable.”
He added that the dream to surpass China won’t be easy and will require producing at least two more world-class mixed doubles pairs by year-end.
Nova and his team are currently experimenting with new pairings through trial tournaments. Promising duos like Hoo Pang Ron–Cheng Su Yin are already showing potential in International Challenge events.
“Hopefully by year-end, we’ll have more pairs stepping up to the elite level,” he said.
