KUALA LUMPUR: The cat is out of the bag, and it is none other than Tan Kian Meng, who has played a key role in Ben Lane-Sean Vendy's recent dominance over Malaysian men's doubles pairs.
Kian Meng has been appointed England's doubles head coach until 2028 after impressing Badminton England during a three-month stint as a guest coach, which ended in September last year.
The former Malaysian mixed doubles world No. 5, who partnered Lai Pei Jing, said his three-year contract began in October, but he was not in a position to reveal it earlier.
Kian Meng replaces former Olympic champion Nathan Robertson, who was instrumental in transforming Lane-Vendy into a top-class pairing.
"I started in June as a guest coach and Badminton England decided to appoint me as the doubles head coach, overseeing all departments. The contract runs until 2028," said Kian Meng.
"My focus is to develop the up-and-coming pairs as well as the senior pairs.
"When I was a guest coach, Lane-Vendy were still under Robertson, but I advise them on tactics."
Kian Meng said his role was to help the English pair maximise their strengths and adopt a more aggressive approach.
"Lane-Vendy are an excellent pair. I just helped them optimise their strengths and become more aggressive," he said.
"They used to be quite defensive, so I helped them develop their attack and also taught them a bit of the Malaysian playing style."
Those tweaks have paid off, with Lane-Vendy proving a thorn in the side of Malaysian pairs in recent months.
They stunned world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to win the Arctic Open title in October and have beaten world No. 9 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani twice.
They have also defeated world No. 27 Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong once and world No. 34 Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri three times, including their latest win in the first round of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta.
Independent world No. 35 Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi had already suffered defeats to Lane-Vendy even before Kian Meng's arrival, while world No. 6 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are the only Malaysian pair to remain unbeaten against the English duo, winning both of their career meetings.
Lane-Vendy, who reached the semi-finals of the Super 1000 Malaysia Open earlier this month, are set to begin full-time training under Kian Meng later this month.
His first major assignment will be the All England from March 3-8, before guiding the pair towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
