Tee Kai Wun hopes to return to world top 10 with Man Wei Chong

Malaysian men’s doubles shuttler Tee Kai Wun has set his sights on steering his partnership with Man Wei Chong back into the world’s top 10, though he acknowledges that limited time remains during the current season. The pair currently sit at world No. 12 following a disrupted campaign that included temporary partner switches and a bout of illness, according to recent statements reported from Academy Badminton Malaysia.

Denmark Open Reunion Marks Return to Regular Partnership

Tee Kai Wun and Man Wei Chong will reunite at the upcoming Denmark Open, which begins on Tuesday. The tournament marks their first competition together since August, when they competed at the World Championships. Their campaign at that global event was cut short after Kai Wun suffered from diarrhea, preventing the pair from advancing past the opening round.

“I don’t think it’s been that long. We last played together at the World Championships,” Kai Wun said following a training session. “We’ll just play and prepare with what we have.” In the opening round in Denmark, the Malaysian duo is scheduled to face Christian Faust Kjaer and Rasmus Kjaer.

Chasing Top 10 Standing Amid a Compressed Schedule

With only six tournaments remaining in the Super 500-750 range for the remainder of the year, Kai Wun admitted that climbing back into the elite bracket will require patience. The pair previously hovered around the top eight or top 10 positions.

“We hope to get back into the top 10. We were usually in the top 10 or top eight, but it will take time because we missed many tournaments,” Kai Wun stated. “There are only a few tournaments left this year, so we’ll try our best to keep our ranking around that level.” Rather than setting lofty goals, the 26-year-old emphasized a focus on execution. “I don’t want to set expectations too high. I just want to focus on my own performance. If we can go far, that would be even better.”

Coaching Realignments After Experimental Lineups

The temporary drop to world No. 12 arrived after national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi tested several partner combinations earlier in the season. During the reshuffle, Kai Wun partnered with Roy King, securing a victory at the Korea Masters following a slow start. Kai Wun was subsequently paired with Aaron Chia for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where their run ended in the second round without a medal for the Malaysian squad.

Following these experiments, the national coaching staff opted to restore established pairings for the closing stretch of the year, returning Wei Chong to Kai Wun and keeping Aaron Chia alongside Soh Wooi Yik. Kai Wun confirmed that he and Wei Chong intend to fulfill their remaining tournament registrations for the season.

More on this story: Kang Khai Xing partners Lok Hong Quan for Malaysia Super 100 · Yoo Tae-bin and Alwi Farhan aim to revive smash-heavy badminton style