KUALA LUMPUR – Versatile national doubles player Yap Roy King has emerged as the only individual to conquer two titles at the 2023 National Badminton Championships which came to a close today at Stadium Juara here.
The 22-year-old who represented Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) first won the mixed doubles with Valeree Siow by defeating Choong Hon Jian-Go Pei Kee, 21-19, 21-18 in the final.
He was in the court again for the men’s doubles final later with Wan Mohd Arif Sharuddin Wan Junaidi and they subdued Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong 21-17, 21-12 for the title.
“I was hoping to create a double, and it was the best gift for me. I gave my best in both battles or it would not be fair to my partners,” he told reporters after the prize presentation ceremony here.
Commenting further, Roy King said he will leave it to the coaches on his position in playing different events and said it was not a burden on him.
Based on world rankings, Roy King and Wan Mohd Arif are in the 85th position after starting to combine in March following a reshuffle while his pairing with Valeree is at the 61st spot.
Meanwhile, Wan Mohd Arif wants to continue partnering with Roy King after having built a strong team work together.
“It would be a pity to break up the pair which is number 85 in the world, after all, chasing ranking is not easy…actually it is I who chose him in the last minute. I am thankful to him for accepting me.
“I have no problem and can follow (the game) him, and we have an advantage because one is right-handed and the other is left-handed. Our rotation also has no problem because we can follow each other’s speed… just from the defensive aspect it is still not consistent and needs to be improved,” he said.
Roy King’s achievement today saw him take home a total winnings RM12,500 (after splitting with his partner) in addition to adding to his collection of successes after winning the Nantes International Challenge title with Wan Mohd Arif in France, last month.
The national men’s doubles champions received RM15,000 in prize money while the mixed doubles received RM10,000. – Bernama
