Kai Wun wary of new scoring system despite French Open success

KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles player Tee Kai Wun may have returned to winning ways with Man Wei Chong at the French Open on Sunday, but he is wary of the biggest challenge posed by the introduction of the 15-point scoring system in January.

World No. 8 Wei Chong-Kai Wun ended a 17-month title drought since the Malaysia Masters triumph, by capturing the French Open crown in Paris, which was also their first Super 750 title.

The new scoring system will officially be introduced at the European Mixed Team Championship in Tallinn, Estonia, on Jan 6-10.

The Super 1000 Malaysia Open, at the Unify Arena on Jan 21-31, will be the first World Tour event to adopt the shorter format.

While the pair welcomes the 15-point system over the current 21-point format, Kai Wun believes it may not give them a significant advantage, given their tendency to start matches slowly.

"The 15-point format could be an advantage for us because the games will be faster. However, it could also work against us, as we tend to be slow starters and take some time to settle into a match," said Kai Wun.

"We don't know how it will turn out yet, so I think we need to start playing under the new system first next year."

Wei Chong-Kai Wun and their fellow Malaysian shuttlers should also get an opportunity to test the 15-point format at the Asian Mixed Team Championship in Qingdao, China, from Jan 12-17.

The tournament will give them an early taste of the new scoring system before they compete at the Malaysia Open, the first individual tournament on the World Tour to adopt the format.

National men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi also knows his players will need to adapt quickly to the shorter scoring format, which is set to become a permanent feature across badminton events, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"We have to start thinking about next year, when we will be playing under the 15-point scoring system. How should we approach this format? It is different from playing under the 21-point system.

"We need to start preparing now. January is not far away, and we will have to be ready by then. We have to think far ahead. We also need to look for players who, in my opinion, are suited to playing doubles under this system," said Herry.

Herry said the initial feedback, particularly from Under-18 shuttlers who competed under the new format at the World Junior Championships in Cairo earlier this month, suggested the shorter scoring system could be more challenging.

"I have already asked the players about it because not everyone can adapt to this format," added Herry.

"The junior players competed under the 15-point scoring system at the World Junior Championships. I asked them what it was like to play under that system. They said, 'Wow, Coach, it's tough,' and went on to explain the difficulties they faced.

"From their responses, I was able to get a rough idea of the challenges involved."

Herry has enjoyed some success with his reshuffling experiment, which began in July, with national men's doubles pairs winning three titles during that period.

Kai Wun and Yap Roy King won the Super 300 Korea Masters in August, while Yap secured the Super 500 Arctic Open title in Vantaa, Finland, with new partner Aaron Tai three weeks ago.

The winning run continued last week when Kai Wun reunited with Wei Chong to capture the French Open crown. However, all three titles were won under the existing 21-point scoring system.