KUALA LUMPUR: No coach, no problem. Newly crowned Orleans Masters champions Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri proved they can still produce results without the assistance of their coaches.
The world No. 40 edged Indonesia's Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 21-15, 18-21, 21-14 at the Palais des Sports in France to take home US$16,590 (RM78,047.72) on Sunday.
Interestingly, they were guided by national singles coach Hendrawan during the tournament. Their coaches, Tan Bin Shen and Poh Chai Boon did not travel to France.
BAM coaching director Rexy Mainaky praised Hon Jian-Haikal's performance in the tournament.
"It's a good achievement. Players must always trust the instructions and guidance of any coach," said Rexy.
It was Hon Jian-Haikal's third tournament after the Syed Modi International and Guwahati Masters last year.
They were also finallists at the Indonesia Masters.
Hon Jian-Haikal will now focus on this week's Swiss Open. They will start their campaign against compatriots Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the first round on Tuesday.