Malaysian men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun are set to begin their campaign in the Asian Games individual badminton competition on Friday at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium. Despite being unseeded and a relatively new pairing, national men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is optimistic that their unfamiliarity as a duo could prove advantageous against more established teams.

Aaron and Tee are scheduled to face Tajikistan’s Odilzhon Abdurakhimov and Dzhumaboi Saidov in the opening round, with the expectation that they will advance to meet the top-seeded and world number one pair from South Korea, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, in the second round. The Korean pair has been granted a bye for the first round.

Herry noted that the relatively limited exposure opponents have had to Aaron and Tee as a unit could leave rivals uncertain about their playing style and strategies. “One thing is certain, our opponents will want to know how they play together,” Herry said, referring to their appearances at the Thomas Cup Finals in April and the recent Asian Games team event. “Even then, it was still not very clear. That could give us an element of surprise and perhaps an advantage.”

Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun claimed the men’s doubles gold at the 2018 Perak Sukma Games but have only competed together once this year at the senior international level, during the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark. They showed promise in the recent men’s team quarter-final against Indonesia, securing a point for Malaysia with a win over Indonesia’s Leo Rolly and Daniel Marthin, although Malaysia ultimately lost the tie 3-2.

Another Malaysian pair in contention, independent duo Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, will start their individual campaign against Taiwan's Chiu Hsiang-chieh and Wang Chi-lin. Should they progress, they may face former world champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan in the second round. The Japanese pair will open their campaign against Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Jumar and Moajjam Ohidul.

Goh and Izzuddin are under pressure to perform after a lackluster showing in the team event quarter-finals, where they were defeated by Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Shohibul Fikri. Their performance in the individual competition will be closely watched as a measure of their worthiness for selection to the Asian Games squad.