KUALA LUMPUR: Young guns Arif Junaidi and Yap Roy King won't suffer stage fright in their debut at the Malaysia Open from Jan 7-12.
Roy King said while playing at home provides extra motivation, he and Arif look forward to entertaining Malaysian fans.
"We're really excited as the Malaysia Open is just around the corner. Regarding our preparation, we are at the highest level and ready to compete," he said today.
Arif said though the Malaysian Open is a Super 1000 tournament, he and his partner won't feel intimidated, as their opponents are similar to those they faced previously.
"The Malaysia Open is the same as other tournaments. There's nothing special about it except that we're playing at home."
World No. 23 Arif-Roy King had a good beginning to the year, reaching the final of the Spain Master and semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters.
The last Malaysians to win the men's doubles title at the Malaysia Open were Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah in 2014.