Wan Wah: Best yet to come from Kien Keat and Boon heong

PETALING JAYA: Former world No. 1 Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong are certainly back in business.

The independent pair are now the national No. 2 – behind world No. 19 Tan Wee KiongGoh V Shem.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong have made decent progress since returning to the international stage in May.

Kien Keat quit the national team in March last year while Boon Heong left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) set-up in March this year.

They are also on course for a third successive Olympic appearance in Rio de Janeiro next year after claiming their second title in as many months at the recently-concluded Russia International Challenge in St Petersburg on Sunday.

The unseeded Kien Keat-Boon Heong defeated world No. 27 Marcus Ellis-Chris Langridge 21-10, 21-12 to add to their first triumph at the Sri Lanka International Challenge in June.

In their first tournament – the Australian Open – in May, the 2006 Doha Asian Games gold medallists did well to reach the quarter-finals.

These results have seen Kien Keat-Boon Heong climb up to No. 73 in the latest world rankings released by the Badminton World Federation ( BWF) yesterday. They were a lowly No. 212 at the beginning of June.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong will now head for next week’s Taiwan Open in high spirits.

Former international Lee Wan Wah, who is coaching the duo, is pleased with the progress made by Kien Keat-Boon Heong in the just three months.

He believes the best is yet to come from them.

“They are playing well, but there’s always room for improvement,” said Wan Wah.

“Many doubted they can make it to the top again, but their fantastic start has come as no surprise at all to me.

“They have been very committed in training. I see the fire inside them, they have the desire.

“Fitness-wise, they’re slowly getting there. They can last three games without much trouble, and that’s a very good sign.

“It’s going to be hectic for them starting with the Taiwan Open. They are going to compete actively in order to improve their ranking. If everything goes according to plan, a top-16 ranking by the end of the year is possible.”

At the Taiwan Open, Kien Keat-Boon Heong will open their campaign against Japan’s Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda.

If they get past the Japanese, their next opponents are likely to be seventh seeds Ko Sung-hyun-Shin Baek Choel of South Korea, with world No. 4 Mohd Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan awaiting in the last eight.