Jimmy-Pei Jing stun Indonesians to reach first Super 300 final
World No. 127 Jimmy-Pei Jing, who only teamed up in March, stunned Indonesia's world No. 19 Amri Syahnawi-Nita Marwah 21-18, 21-16 in just 43 minutes at the East Asian Games Dome.
It marks their first-ever final at a Super 300 event.
The Malaysians have reached the finals of three lower-tier tournaments this year — the Vietnam International Series (March), Phuket International Series (April), and St Denis Reunion Open (May) — but finished runners-up on all occasions.
World No. 3 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei could set up an all-Malaysian final if they beat Denmark's Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje in their semi-final later today.
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New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Malaysia's rising shuttlers make gains in BWF world rankings
KUALA LUMPUR: A string of standout performances at the Macau Open has propelled several Malaysian back-up shuttlers up the BWF world rankings, with men's singles Justin Hoh and men's doubles Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King leading the charge. Justin, 21, climbed eight rungs to a career-best No. 37 after reaching his first-ever World Tour final in the Super 300 tournament, bringing him a step closer to the crucial top-32 bracket that grants full access to all tiers of the World Tour. Fresh from lifting their maiden World Tour title in Macau, Arif-Roy King rose two spots to No. 22 in the men's doubles list — also a personal best for the pair. There was a much-needed boost too for Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri, whose semi-final finish earned them a nine-spot jump to No. 43, a timely result after a run of early exits since returning from a lengthy injury spell in May. Meanwhile, Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing's surprise run to the mixed doubles final paid off handsomely, as they surged from No. 127 to No. 84, marking their first entry into the world's top 100 since forming their partnership earlier this season. While most of Malaysia's top shuttlers skipped the Macau Open, there were still noticeable shifts in the latest world rankings due to the expiry of Paris 2024 Olympic points in the BWF's 52-week rolling system. Among the hardest hit was Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia, who slipped 17 spots to No. 52 in the men's singles — his lowest ranking since November 2016. However, the former All England champion, sidelined since March due to injury, will benefit from a protected ranking of No. 9, which allows him entry into all World Tour events (except the season-ending Finals) until year-end. Zii Jia is slated to make his comeback at the World Championships later this month. Leong Jun Hao remains Malaysia's highest-ranked men's singles player at No. 25. In the men's doubles, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik held steady at No. 2, while Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin reclaimed the No. 3 spot from Denmark's Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, with the Danes dropping points from last year's Olympic campaign. Malaysia boasts six pairs inside the top 32, including Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 7), Nur Azryin Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong (No. 24) and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (No. 29). In the women's doubles, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah held firm at a career-high No. 2, with Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing moving up two spots to No. 18 following reshuffling above them. Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei's run to the Macau Open semi-finals couldn't quite offset the Olympic point expiry — they slipped from No. 3 to No. 4 in the mixed doubles. Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai improved to No. 6, while Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin (No. 16) and Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien (No. 32) round out Malaysia's top four pairs. In women's singles, K. Letshanaa continues to lead the Malaysian pack at No. 40.
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Veteran Pei Jing shows she is still hungry for glory
Going places: Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing were the first Malaysians to reach a World Tour final in the mixed doubles this year. PETALING JAYA: Teaming up with Jimmy Wong is proving to be the right decision for shuttler Lai Pei Jing. Jimmy and Pei Jing impressed by upstaging several higher ranked pairs to reach the mixed doubles final in their first World Tour outing together in the Super 300 Macau Open. Currently ranked 127th in the world, the duo, who only combined in March, lost 13-21, 16-21 to Denmark's Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje in the final at the Macau East Asian Games Dome on Sunday. Despite missing out on their first title together, Pei Jing, who will turn 33 on Friday, was happy to defy her age and get on the podium again in the World Tour. She last won a World Tour title in 2022 in the Korean Open with former partner Tan Kian Meng. Pei Jing finished runners-up last year in the women's doubles with Lim Chiew Sien in the Australian Open. 'It feels great to be back on the tour and to be able to stand on the podium again,' said Pei Jing. 'To be honest, I never expected that. I'm happy for Jimmy too. I'm happy with his performance throughout the week. 'Hopefully, we can keep this momentum and get better. This is just the beginning. 'I know there will be more obstacles after this for us to go through but I guess I'm really for it. 'I'll wait for the silver to turn gold one day.' Jimmy, who turns 23 later this month, and Pei Jing were the first Malaysians to reach a World Tour final in the mixed doubles this year. In fact, the pair have reached the final in four out of the six tournaments they have competed in so far. Jimmy-Pei Jing also made it into the title match in the Vietnam International Challenge, Phuket International Series and St Denis Reunion Open but finished runners-up all three times. The pair will be out to clinch their first title together when they team up next in the Super 100 China Masters from Sept 2-7.
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
The hand behind surge
Vast improvement: Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi have stepped up their game by winning the Macau Open men's doubles title. 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 doubles players 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 World Tour 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 the 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. World No. 4 Sze Fei-Izzuddin have also won a title this year – the Indian Open in January – and finished runners' up in the Japan Open last month. This time, 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.
