National men’s doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun’s bid to claim their first ever Super 500 title ended as they faltered to Kang Min-hyuk – Seo Seung-jae at the Axiata Arena hours after women’s doubles duo, Pearly Tan-M Thinaah lost in the final to Baek Ha-na – Lee So-hee 20-22, 21-8, 17-21.
Despite strong support from local fans, Wei Chong-Kai Wun clearly struggled to match Min-hyuk – Seung-jae after going down 15-21 in the opening game.
But with the world No 16 pair moments away from clinching the title in the second set after leading 19-15, world No 26 Wei Chong-Kai Wun regained their composure and rose to the occasion by edging their opponents, 24-22.
After the Malaysians took a slim lead at 11-10 in the third set, the battle remained intense until 18-18 before Wei Chong’s return shot went off the back line to hand the title to the unseeded South Koreans with a 21-19 win in the match which took one hour and 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, Wei Chong said they could not cope with the pressure after leading 11-10 at the third set interval which allowed their opponents to get back into the game and win it.
“It’s a pity (we were unable to win the title), we were leading at one time, so it’s very sad. I think we need to train and have more gym sessions (to increase our fitness level) and avoid injury,” he told reporters after the match.
Despite missing out on the title, Wei Chong was quite happy with the progress they had made in Malaysia Masters 2023 after being plagued by injuries and poor form.
Asked about the chance to make the cut for the 2024 Olympic Games, Kai Wun said they would take it match by match as the qualifying process, which had just kicked off earlier this month, would run until April next year.
Kai Wun also hoped to maintain their performance level in future tournaments, especially after they stunned former world champions, Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia, 23-21, 21-17, in the quarterfinal last Friday.
Today’s result means Wei Chong-Kai Wun have failed to end Malaysia’s 10-year drought for the men’s doubles title, as Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah were the last Malaysians to win it, defeating compatriots Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong 22-20, 21-15 in 2013.