Team Singapore made history at the Mangalore India International Challenge 2025 as two national men’s doubles pairs — Wesley Koh & Kubo Junsuke and Donovan Wee & Howin Wong — faced off in an all-Singapore final. The remarkable result underscored the growing strength and depth of Singapore’s men’s doubles contingent under the guidance of doubles head coach Paulus Firman.
Wesley said: “Playing against teammates is something we rarely face in a final, so I think our emotions were definitely mixed. We were excited and nervous at the same because we train together every day and we know each other patterns. I think we were able to control the game better and adapted to their changes quicker. That helped us to build momentum and string the points together.”
Junsuke said: “Every tournament, every match, every game, every point is a new one and a lesson for us to learn. This week, we have learned so much about our playing style and mental strength. We will add these lessons to our arsenal and hopefully it will strengthen us for bigger challenges in the future.”
Doubles head coach Paulus Firman said: “I’m happy with their performance and achievements. Both pairs learned how to deal with pressure and how to change the game strategy in response to their opponents. Other players who participated in this tournament were at the same level of ability, and they were able to overcome them to reach the finals together. Moving ahead, I would like to see them to be more consistent and confident, and this is their good capital to play at a higher level.”
Donovan said: “Our goal at any tournament is first of all to win the tournament. We are thankful that we could reach the finals, and more so to play against our higher ranked teammates. Despite losing the finals to Wesley and Junsuke, we are definitely pleased to be able to achieve a breakthrough in terms of results. This remarkable breakthrough gives us the confidence in ourselves that we are truly capable of achieving more, yet the loss signifies that there is much more to learn from other players and to stay hungry.”
