Malaysia’s Wan Arif Wan Junaidi has withdrawn from this week’s Indonesian Masters in Kudus because of an unresolved injury, interrupting his new men’s doubles partnership with Mohd Faiq Masawi.
National men’s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said Arif was still affected by a shoulder problem after competing at last week’s Malaysia Super 100 in Johor.
The Star reported Tuesday that Herry confirmed the withdrawal at Akademi Badminton Malaysia. The coach said Arif had not recovered sufficiently and could not smash at full power.
Arif and Faiq lost 8–21, 17–21 to South Korea’s Na Sung-seung and Wang Chan in Johor’s second round, with the injury already affecting Arif.
Herry said the decision to play in Johor had been intended to test the new combination. In his assessment afterward, Arif had not been ready for competition.
The cancellation removes the pair’s next planned tournament from its early testing schedule. The report did not provide a recovery timetable or confirm when Arif would resume competing.
The setback comes during a wider assessment of Malaysia’s doubles combinations. Herry said the pairs in Johor were still being tested, with players also assessed individually.
Arif had approached the new partnership as both an opportunity and a responsibility. Before their debut, he said the coaches wanted him to help guide the younger Faiq.
Both players are left-handed, an unusual combination Arif hoped could trouble opponents more accustomed to facing two right-handers or a pair with one player of each handedness.
The October 10 account of his preparations listed three planned events: the Malaysia Super 100, the October 20–25 Indonesian Masters and November’s Kaohsiung Masters in Taiwan.
Before joining Faiq, Arif and Kang Khai Xing suffered first-round defeats at the China Open, Taiwan Open, Korean Masters and China Masters, according to the earlier reporting.
Earlier, RTM’s October 9 report recorded Arif’s acknowledgment that developing chemistry would take time. He said discussions with coaches and senior players helped him adjust to the change.
He had initially found the reshuffle unsettling, but recognized that other players were experiencing similar changes. Training and guidance were central to his approach to the new partnership.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia’s profile lists Arif as a left-handed men’s doubles player born June 6, 2002, in Terengganu. He is now 24.
His earlier partnership with Yap Roy King reached a career-high world ranking of No. 16. A subsequent combination with Kang Khai Xing preceded the current trial alongside Faiq.
