KUALA LUMPUR: The dream of seeing men’s doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun make a deep run at the All-England was dashed after they fell to world No. 6 He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu of China on Wednesday (March 12).
Playing at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, Wei Chong-Kai Wun, ranked just one spot below their Chinese opponents, struggled to find their rhythm and bowed out 15-21, 8-21 in 32 minutes.
The loss mirrored their campaign last year when they also suffered a first round exit, that time at the hands of Japan’s Akira Soga-Taichi Saito.
Even last week at the Orleans Masters in Paris, Wei Chong and Kai Wun suffered an early exit, losing in the first round to South Korea’s Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae.
Despite benefiting from the expertise of Indonesian coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, Wei Chong and Kai Wun admitted that their own preparations were insufficient to take on the world No. 6 Jiting-Xiangyu.
“If you ask me, compared to last year, I think our speed is better, at least for this tournament.
“But since they are among the top pairs in the world, maybe we were not fully prepared for this match,” said Kai Wun in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation.
With their defeats, only professionals Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani left standing in the tournament. The duo will face Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae of South Korea next.
