KUMAMOTO, JAPAN - Malaysia‘s Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun will compete at the Kumamoto Masters starting November 11, as they pursue qualification for the season-ending World Tour Finals in December.
National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi confirmed the pair will continue their campaign in japan to bolster their position in the World Tour Finals standings.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun recently fell to Indonesia’s Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza 16-21, 15-21 in the Hylo Open semi-finals, ending their bid for a third final appearance this year. Despite the loss, they gained ranking points, which Herry hopes to add to in Kumamoto.
“They made a lot of errors and their condition was not good, and they did not play at their best (in the Hylo Open semi-final),” Herry said. “They will go to Kumamoto to chase points to qualify for the World Tour Finals.”
The decision comes amid concerns over Kai Wun’s fitness, as he reported a recurrence of a left calf injury following the Hylo Open match, requiring immediate medical attention. The injury previously sidelined him from the Arctic Open and denmark Open in October.
“Sorry everyone,I really gave it my all. I wasn’t even sure I could get this far when I came here to compete. I’m already happy to have performed at this level. Thank you to everyone for the strong support,” Kai Wun posted on social media.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun currently sit fifth in the World Tour Finals standings with 79,600 points, closely followed by compatriots Goh sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani in seventh place with 69,170 points. Only the top eight pairs will qualify for the Finals, with a maximum of two representatives permitted per country.
Top Malaysian pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi yik are in a strong position to qualify, currently second with 92,940 points. They have withdrawn from both the Kumamoto Masters and the Australian Open to focus on preparations for the SEA Games in Thailand in December and the World Tour Finals, which will be held three days later in Hangzhou.
