Koo-Tan need to bring back arrogance in their game, says coach Rexy

THE only change that the country’s top doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong need is on their character to regain respect as world-class players.
On Wednesday, the duo’s pride was heavily dented when they went down to Chinese youngsters Hong Wei-Shen Ye 21-16, 18-21, 16-21 in the first round of the Malaysia Open.
It was their second big disappointment at the start of the year. They failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Super Series Masters Finals in Taipei two weeks ago.
Both Kien Keat-Boon Heong felt that their style of play needs a complete overhaul to prevent them from being predictable and easy targets for their opponents.
However, coach Rexy Mainaky feels that it was more about having an offensive attitude on the court.
“It is not about changing their game style but they need to bring back the arrogance in their game.
“They need to unsettle their opponents with their fearless and brave approaches. They are lacking in these areas,” he said.
Rexy added that the strong performance by the lanky Hong Wei and Shen Ye reminded him of the same commanding form shown by Kien Keat-Boon Heong when they began their partnership in 2006.
“This Chinese pair showed no fear. The way they moved about on court was in a confident manner,” he said.
“They attacked on Kien Keat’s and Boon Heong’s strong points and were willing to take risks. Our pair need to do the same. Kien Keat should show that he is the master of netplay while Boon Heong should let his smashes do the talking.
“Boon Heong, especially, was unable to stamp his authority. He was not as aggressive as he used to be.”
Rexy was grateful that Kien Keat-Boon Heong were honest with their opinion after the defeat.
“Rosman (Razak) and I had a discussion with the players until 2am in the stadium.
“They were frank. They thought that it was their game style but finally, they agreed that it was about lack of character,” said the Indonesian.
“During my time with Ricky Subagja, we maintained an unbeaten run for three years. We have the same styles but we were good at intimidating our opponents.”
Rexy hoped to see a quick change in their attitude in the second leg of the BWF World Super Series in South Korea next week.

Posted by Lucas Liau on 9:55 AM. Filed under Latest News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0