Malaysia's women's doubles coach Rosman Razak has ruled out major changes to his squad's partnerships, confirming that Low Zi Yu will continue playing alongside Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan as they work towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The decision also means Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee will remain together despite their struggles to produce consistent results this season.
There had been calls for a reshuffle within the women's doubles department, particularly after Carmen-Xin Yee struggled to make an impact on the international circuit. Zi Yu's versatility, meanwhile, has made her a potential option for a new combination after winning the world junior doubles title with Genevie Lim last month.
However, Rosman believes the women's doubles department is in a different position from the men's squad, where head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi has been experimenting with new partnerships.
According to Rosman, the women's doubles squad has a smaller pool of experienced players, with most of the younger combinations still developing their skills and gaining international exposure.
Although their progress may appear slow, he believes the players need more time to improve their individual abilities, physical strength and experience before any major decisions are made.
Rosman is particularly keen to preserve Zi Yu and Noraqilah's partnership, believing that splitting them up at this stage would bring more risks than benefits.
The pair are currently ranked No. 42 in the world and have already shown encouraging signs, including a victory over Japan's world No. 5 pair Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi at the Uber Cup in Denmark. They have also finished runners-up at the Baiji Masters and reached the quarter-finals of both the Taiwan Open and Australian Open this year.
With the Olympic qualification period beginning in April 2027, Rosman believes maintaining their current partnership will give them a better chance of collecting ranking points and breaking into the world's top 32.
He also wants Malaysia to have at least two women's doubles pairs competing for places at the Los Angeles Games, making it important to develop the existing combinations rather than repeatedly starting over with new partnerships.
For now, Rosman believes the priority should be helping the young players improve together. With Zi Yu only 16, he sees considerable potential in the youngster and hopes she can continue developing alongside Noraqilah as they work towards their Olympic ambitions.
