Challenging themselves against top pairs
shuttler Haikal Nazri said he and his partner Choong Hon Jian will take a cautious approach when they take on South Korean veterans Kim Gi Jung-Kim Sa Rang, who are back after a nine-month hiatus, in the Thailand Open first round next week.
Former world No. 2 Gi Jung and Sa Rang, who are 33 and 34 respectively, were last seen in action at the Australian Open in August last year, where they exited in the last 16 stage.
The Korean pair have since dropped to No. 196 in the rankings.
Haikal said Korean pairs are traditionally strong, and Gi Jung-Sa Rang’s ranking would count for nothing.
“We have not played Sa Rang-Gi Jung before, but despite their age and inactivity, we just can't take things lightly.
“In my eyes, they are legends, and it will be quite a good experience for me and Hon Jian,” said Haikal.
“Also, Korean men's doubles have always been strong, whether or not they're highly ranked, old or young, or even scratch pairs.
“I still remember the last time we played a Korean pair (Cho Song Hyun-Na Gwang Min at the KL Masters last year), we lost.
“But as long as we deliver our best performance, we can definitely overcome them.”
World No. 28 Haikal-Hon Jian are motivated by the opportunity to play against top pairs in the latter stages.
“We want to win the first round badly because it would set us up next possibly against Indonesia's Bagas Maulana-Shobihul Fikri.
“If we progress further, then we could have a shot at facing Muhammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan
in the quarters,” said Haikal.
“We've made it to this stage (breaking the top 32), where we will be able to compete against the world's top pairs. But that can only happen if we make it far in each tournament.
“These experiences will help us gauge our level against top pairs. From there, we can improve and become a better pair.”
Haikal-Hon Jian are one of the most improved national men's doubles pairs.
They have won three World Tour titles, including the Orleans Masters in March.
The pair also helped Malaysia reach the Thomas Cup semi-finals in Chengdu last week.
Haikal-Hon Jian will also play in the Malaysia Masters, Indonesia Open and Australia Open.