National shuttler Wan Arif Wan Junaidi targets at least a quarter-final finish at the Japan Open before partnering Kang Khai Xing at the China Open.
NATIONAL men’s doubles shuttler Wan Arif Wan Junaidi is ready to shoulder the responsibility of guiding his new partner, Kang Khai Xing, when they compete in the China Open at the end of July.
The 24-year-old Wan Arif said he will not ignore his new partner’s input, as he believes that every player brings their own ideas and strengths that can be utilised on court.
“Maybe it’s also my responsibility to guide him because I’m more mature in terms of age and experience. But he can’t just follow everything I say… I could be wrong, and he could be right.
“I must also listen to Khai Xing’s ideas. On court, I need to act as the leader, but we still need to listen to each other,” he told reporters after a training session here today.
Commenting on the partnership reshuffle being carried out by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Wan Arif prefers not to think too much about it, insisting that he will give his full commitment regardless of who his partner is.
“I don’t want to think too much (about it). If possible, for every tournament that we play in, no matter who our partner is, we just have to give our best. Win or lose, put that aside. The most important thing is to show fighting spirit,” he said.
The China Open, a BWF World Tour Super 1000 event, will be held in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China, from July 21-26.
For now, the Terengganu-born Wan Arif is focused on performing well with his regular partner Yap Roy King at the Japan Open, scheduled for July 14–19, before the pair are split up.
He is targeting at least a quarter-final finish in the Japan Open, and believes the adjustment period with Khai Xing will not take long, given the similarity in playing style compared to his previous partner.
“Right now, I’m still training ith Roy King. Our focus is definitely to win the Japan Open. After that I will focus on my partnership with Khai Xing.
“I’m not worried about adapting because Khai Xing is quite similar to Roy King. Any new pairing needs to adjust quickly – some do it fast, some take a bit longer,” he said.
Wan Arif also views the partnership reshuffling as a positive move that could refresh player performance, adding that such approaches are not unusual and have been used by other countries as well.
