Familiar foes could be Aaron-Wooi Yik's spoilers at World C'ships
PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik may need to overcome familiar rivals to keep their gold medal hopes alive in the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are eyeing their second world title after their triumph in 2022 in Tokyo, will likely face either China's Paris Olympics silver medallists Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang or India's Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in the quarter-finals.
Weikeng-Wang Chang ended the world No. 2 pair's hopes of winning gold in the Olympics when they beat them in the semi-finals in August last year at the same venue as the world meet this time - the Adidas Arena in Port de la Chapelle.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were also denied by Satwiksairaj-Chirag in the last four of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The Malaysians will need to be at their best to come out on top this time.
Before that, Aaron-Wooi Yik, who have received a bye in the first round, will open their campaign in the second round against either Scotland's Christopher Grimley-Mathew Grimley or Spain's Daniel Franco-Rodrigo Sanjurjo.
A win could see Aaron-Wooi Yik play teammates and debutants Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi in the third round.
Roy King-Arif though need to overcome tricky pairs Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura from Japan and Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Kittinupong Kedren in the first and second rounds respectively if they hope to meet Aaron-Wooi Yik.
Meanwhile, world No. 3 independent pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who received a bye in the first round, will play the winners of the match between Thailand's Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Americans Chen Zhi-yi-Presley Smith in the second round.
Another Malaysian representative, world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, will likely face Popov brothers Christo and Toma Junior from France in the second round.
In the women's doubles, world No. 2 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah's first big test will likely come in the third round against Indonesia's Siti Fadia Ramadhanti-Lanny Tria.
Another women's doubles duo Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee will likely meet Bulgarian sisters Stefani Stoeva-Gabriela Stoeva in the second round.
In the mixed doubles, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin could clash in the third round while rising Indonesian pair Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu will likely stand in national No. 1 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei's way to the last eight.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
India eyes Commonwealth Games as step toward hosting 2036 Olympics
NEW DELHI: India says it will bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, seen as part of a wider push by the cricket-mad nation to host the 2036 Olympics. "Our preparations will go ahead," Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha said after a meeting on Wednesday, according to local media. The capital New Delhi – which hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games, an event marked by construction delays, substandard infrastructure and accusations of corruption – is being considered as host city. Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha is another option. But Indian media are tipping Ahmedabad, the key city in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat. The city is home to a 130,000-seater arena, the world's biggest cricket stadium, named after Modi. It staged the 2023 Cricket World Cup final. India last year submitted a formal letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2036 Games. India has staged World Cups for cricket and the Asian Games twice, and will co-host the Women's World Cup cricket in September. Nigeria and at least two other nations have reportedly expressed interest in hosting the Commonwealth Games, which struggled to find a replacement host for 2026 after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew citing costs. Glasgow stepped in and will stage a slimmed-down version. Following IOA approval, India has until the end of August to submit a formal bid. The decision will be made in November in Glasgow. India said that if it wins the bid, the Commonwealth Games would be a "full-fledged" event. "We will have all the sports we are good at and have a chance of winning maximum medals," said IOA executive council member Rohit Rajpal, according to the Times of India newspaper. That would include tag-type sports such as kabaddi and kho kho, which India is pushing to be included in the Olympics.
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Paris-bound Tang Jie-Ee Wei aim to make waves on the Seine
KUALA LUMPUR: A year after their memorable run to the Olympic quarter-finals in Paris, Chen Tang Jie- Toh Ee Wei are back in the French capital — this time aiming for a medal on a road that promises far more than a stroll down the Seine. The world No. 4 have been handed a potentially tricky path to the final following the draw released on Wednesday. Seeded fourth and quarter-finalists on their debut in Copenhagen in 2023, Tang Jie-Ee Wei will enjoy a first-round bye. They will open their campaign in the second round possibly against India's Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde. The world No. 33 Indians should pose little trouble on paper, but as the first outing in Paris, Tang Jie-Ee Wei will be eager to shake off any rust quickly. It will also be the first meeting between the two pairs. The first real test is expected in the last 16 against Indonesia's world No. 11 Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu. The Malaysians have beaten them twice this year — at the Indonesia Masters in January and Japan Open last month. However, the young Indonesians have made significant strides, lifting the Taiwan Open title in June and reaching the semi-finals of both the Asia Championships and China Open. If they clear that hurdle, a quarter-final showdown looms with Hong Kong veterans Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet. The Hong Kong pair, now under the guidance of former Malaysian international Jeremy Gan, have met Tang Jie-Ee Wei only once, with the Malaysians winning at the 2023 Arctic Open. Chun Man-Ying Suet have been rejuvenated since reuniting in April, stunning the continent's elite by winning the Asia Championships. They will be looking to add to their two World Championships' bronzes from 2018 and 2021. Reaching the semi-finals would likely mean a clash with top seeds Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping. The in-form Chinese pair have captured eight titles in their last 11 tournaments they started. While Tang Jie-Ee Wei memorably beat them in the Paris Olympics group stage, the Chinese duo still lead their head-to-head 6-2. Yan Zhe-Dong Ping will also be out to make amends for their quarter-final exit at the Games 12 months ago. National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto believes the fourth seeding offers a crucial edge. "A seeding certainly gives a bigger chance," said Nova. "With this position, in the quarter-finals they won't meet the top pairs, especially the Chinese, so the minimum target should be a medal — at least the semi-finals." Malaysia have only ever won one mixed doubles medal in the history of the World Championships. "If Tang Jie-Ee Wei succeed, it will be historic," Nova added. "We've even joked with friends, hoping that mixed doubles luck will be on our side at this World Championships." If successful, Tang Jie-Ee Wei would become just the second Malaysian mixed doubles pair to reach the podium after Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty's bronze in 2006.
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
What Jun Hao needs to do to 'stay alive' in Paris
KUALA LUMPUR: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen sees a window of opportunity for Leong Jun Hao at the Paris World Championships from Aug 25–31 despite the shuttler facing some big names in the early rounds. Debutant Jun Hao, who is ranked world No. 25, will potentially meet Japan's Kenta Nishimoto (No. 14) and Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen (No. 6) in difficult second and third round matches respectively. The former Asian Junior champion has beaten several world top 10 players, including Tien Chen (head-to-head 1-1). Against Nishimoto, it's 3-2. Jun Hao, 26, stands a fighting chance of making it to the quarter-finals and put himself in contention for a medal. "Jun Hao has a positive draw, and there are chances (of good results) if he performs at his highest level and stays consistent every day (in Paris)," said Jonassen. "For now, we need to focus on the next 10 days and get our final preparations done." Jun Hao should clear the first round against Switzerland's world No. 147 Tobias Kuenzi. However, much will depend on his ability to string together more than one big win after that, as his inconsistency has stymied his chances of achieving better results. Jun Hao defeated Nishimoto in the first round of the China Open last month, but lost to Thailand's world No. 3 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the second. At the Singapore Open, he overcame Indonesia's world No. 5 Jonatan Christie in the second round but lost to Kunlavut in the last eight. At the India Open in January, Jun Hao started well by toppling China's world No. 4 Li Shi Feng, but was beaten by China's world No. 16 Weng Hong Yang next. So it will be important for Jun Hao to "show up in every round", as pointed out by Jonassen, in order to make a strong impact in Paris. Jonassen, who led the Danish team at the Olympics last year, is well aware of the court conditions at the Adidas Arena in Paris. "As for the court conditions, I believe we have a good understanding after last year's Olympics in terms of what to expect," added Jonassen. Though Jun Hao didn't qualify for the Paris Olympics, he had competed in the Adidas Arena at the French Open earlier.
