Badminton

Wei Chong-Kai Wun out to prove their worth on the World Tour

KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are determined to create upsets and elevate their profile this year, starting with next week's Malaysia Open Super 1000.

The world No. 14 pair believes their game has stagnated and needs a breakthrough to make further progress on the World Tour.

A key challenge has been their inability to defeat any of the world's top-eight pairs, which contributed to early-round exits in 10 of the 18 tournaments they played last year.

Kai Wun said they must start overcoming the elite pairs to climb the rankings.

The duo can count themselves fortunate with their draw at the Malaysia Open, as they avoid a top pair in the opening round.

Last year, Wei Chong-Kai Wun exited the Malaysia Open in the first round, falling in straight games to China's world No. 2 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang.

"We must start beating the top pairs, or we'll continue losing in the first or second rounds of tournaments," said Kai Wun.

"In tournaments, only the top eight pairs are seeded, and we often face them early. "It's time for us to make a breakthrough and start reaching at least the semi-finals. That's our goal this year."

On their target for the Malaysia Open, Wei Chong-Kai Wun hope to clear the first two rounds.

The Malaysian pair will open their campaign against Japan's world No. 19 Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura.

A win would likely set up a second-round clash with Taiwan's world No. 10 Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Poh Hsuan.

If successful, they could face compatriots and world No. 3 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani in an all-Malaysian quarter-final.

"Our first step is to clear the opening two rounds. We need to maintain our fighting spirit and consistency," Kai Wun added.

"We hope to deliver something positive at the Malaysia Open."

Last year, their best Super 1000 performance came at the Indonesia Open, where they reached the final but lost to Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang.

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