Justin finishes second in Macau Open
World No. 45 Justin found World No. 25 Alwi was difficult to overcome and lost 15-21, 5-21 at the Macau East Asian Games Dome on Sunday (Aug 3).
Despite the defeat to the 2023 world junior champion, it was an encouraging outing for Justin, who reached his first World Tour final.
The 21-year-old was also the first Malaysian in the men's singles to reach a World Tour final this year.
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The Star
9 minutes ago
- The Star
Coach Herry brings revival and hopes rise for men's doubles world title
Doubles soar: (From left) Yap Roy King, coach Herry and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi. - Roy King's Instagram PETALING JAYA: With a champion's mindset and a proven track record, legendary coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is reshaping Malaysia's men's doubles fortunes – just in time for the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31. Since taking charge in February from Tan Bin Shen, the Indonesian tactician has wasted no time leaving his mark, guiding Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, and Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi to title wins. All three pairs have made the cut for the world meet together with professionals Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, fulfilling the maximum representation in the event. In the past, there used to be only one or two titles delivered by the men's doubles in a year and usually the same pair would win it. But under Herry, the overall depth of the men's doubles in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has improved. The recent maiden win by Roy King-Arif in the Macau Open on Sunday showed that even the younger pairs in the team are all fired up. With better results and players showing more confidence in their game, it is a clear sign that Malaysia's chase for glory is gaining real momentum. Herry believes the strong form shown by the pairs bodes well for Malaysia's chances of capturing gold in the men's doubles in Paris. "It's good that we have four pairs heading to the World Championships in good form," said Herry. "When compared to other countries, Malaysia have a good chance to win the men's doubles title. "The pairs under me are beginning to adapt to my coaching style and philosophy. "When I first arrived, it was normal for the players to take some time to adapt. "There would be ups and downs, and we saw it with all the pairs. Now, they are getting better." Before Roy King-Arif, world No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik had captured gold in the Asian Championships for the first time and went on to add the Thailand Open and Singapore Open to their list of honours, besides finishing runners-up in the China Open and Malaysian Masters. World No. 7 Wei Chong-Kai Wun beat their teammates to win the Malaysian tourney to go with the Indonesian Masters crown. Herry can expect more than one pair to fight for honours at the world meet. In 2022, Aaron-Wooi Yik created history when they became the first Malaysian shuttlers to clinch the world title in Tokyo. The pair then won bronze in the last edition in 2023 in Copenhagen. While Malaysia have been overly reliant on Aaron-Wooi Yik in the past, Sze Fei-Izzuddin and Wei Chong-Kai Wun's improvement raises hopes that they could fight for a medal too this time. Both pairs will also have a better chance this time as being ranked in the world's top eight means that they will have an easier path to the quarter-finals. Despite being underdogs, debutants Roy King-Arif too will not be short of confidence after their triumph in Macau and will be hoping to spring a surprise. The seedings for the prestigious meet will be released on Friday while the draw will be out on Aug 13.
The Sun
9 minutes ago
- The Sun
Macau Open: Dripping water fails to wash away Wan Arif's maiden tour title
KUALA LUMPUR: 'I even had to battle through water dripping from above.' That was how national men's doubles player Wan Arif Wan Junaidi summed up his gritty performance after finally clinching his first BWF World Tour title with partner Yap Roy King at the 2025 Macau Open yesterday. The fourth-seeded Malaysians stunned Indonesia's top seeds Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 22-20, 21-18 in the Super 300 final held at the Macao East Asian Games Dome. Despite being distracted by water dripping from the roof, the 23-year-old Wan Arif managed to overcome the unusual challenge to seal a memorable day for both himself and Roy King. 'During the final, water was dripping even when I served, during rallies and while smashing — it was falling on my head. But I told myself, if I'm affected, so too are my opponents. So I just tried to focus point by point,' he said in an audio message shared by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today. The fifth meeting between the two pairs had to be stopped frequently due to the dripping water from the roof, which made the court surface slippery and dangerous. Wan Arif was also pleased to avenge their previous defeat to Sabar and Moh Reza in the final of the 2024 Madrid Spain Masters, where they lost 18-21, 21-17, 19-21. He added that he and Roy King have adapted better to the gameplay and tactical approach introduced by national men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, six months after the high-profile Indonesian coach began his stint with Malaysia. Meanwhile, Herry, when contacted by Bernama, challenged Wan Arif-Roy King to maintain consistency in upcoming tournaments. He also expressed confidence that the duo's breakthrough title could boost their confidence heading into the 2025 World Championships, scheduled to be held in Paris from Aug 25–31. In a separate development, national men's singles shuttler Justin Hoh said his loss to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan at 15-21, 5-21 in the same tournament's final served as a valuable lesson in patience and game strategy improvement. Despite Justin falling short of clinching his first World Tour title, national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen remained pleased with the 21-year-old's maturity and urged him to bounce back stronger in the future.- BERNAMA
The Sun
9 minutes ago
- The Sun
Sprinter Azeem aims to make amends for WUG setback at Indian Open
KUALA LUMPUR: National sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi will head to the Indian Open Athletics Championships, to be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from Aug 10, bent on making amends for his disappointing performance at last month's Rhine-Ruhr World University Games (WUG). Despite making history at the WUG by becoming the first Malaysian to make the men's 100-metre (m) final and finishing fourth in 10.35 seconds (s), the 21-year-old feels that it did not reflect his true performance, having clocked a season best of 10.20s in the United States in May. 'I am quite disappointed with myself because I know I could have done better (at the WUG). I'm not satisfied with the 10.35s that I clocked at the WUG. 'That's why I am going back to the drawing board with my coach to be better prepared for the Indian Open. I'm looking forward to doing something (special) in my next outing,' said the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games 100m bronze medallist when met recently. In Germany, other than finishing fourth in the blue riband event, Muhammad Azeem also advanced to the semi-finals of the 200m event and helped the national 4x100m quartet reach the final. The Indian Open is a bronze-level Continental Tour athletics event organised by World Athletics, Meanwhile, Muhammad Azeem still has not decided whether to compete in the Malaysian Open Athletics Championships, slated to be held from Aug 29-31. He said this is because the competition date clashed with the start of his lecture schedule at Auburn University in the United States. 'One setback if I don't compete is that it offers ranking points,' added the sprinter, who holds the national 100m record of 10.09s. Muhammad Azeem was crowned the Sprint King at the 2024 edition of the Malaysian Open when he stormed to victory in 10.43s - BERNAMA
