KUALA LUMPUR: A battle of pride and ego awaits as coaches K. Yogendran and Wong Choong Hann see their charges, Leong Jun Hao and Lee Cheuk Yiu, square off in the first round of the Arctic Open.
Yogendran, recently reassigned to the men's singles coaching setup at the BA of Malaysia (BAM), is guiding world No. 29 Jun Hao, while Choong Hann, now the chief coach of the Hong Kong team after leaving his role as BAM coaching director last year, oversees No. 16 Cheuk Yiu.
Jun Hao and Cheuk Yiu will face off tomorrow or Wednesday.
Yogendran, who is in Finland with Jun Hao for the Super 500 event, hopes his experience coaching the men's singles at the Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu in May will serve him well.
"This is my first Super 500 event as a coach, and it's a big challenge," said Yogendran.
"I believe I'm ready and will do my best to help Jun Hao in the Arctic Open and the Denmark Open next week."
Jun Hao last faced Cheuk Yiu in last month's Hong Kong Open, narrowly losing in three games after squandering a five-point lead in the second round, eventually falling 21-14, 15-21, 24-22."
Jun Hao is better prepared for this match," said Yogendran.
"The Choong Hann factor won't affect him much. Players are used to different coaches, and Jun Hao has improved.
"He just needs to stay focused and secure the win."
Jun Hao has shown promise this year, reaching the quarter-finals of the Super 750 Singapore Open and the Super 1000 Indonesia Open, but has struggled in recent tournaments, exiting in the early rounds.
"I've learned from my match against Cheuk Yiu," said Jun Hao.
"I've analysed it and made some adjustments. I hope to do better this time."