Early exit shock for Aaron-Wooi Yik in Japan Open
Playing at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Aaron-Wooi Yik were given a tough fight by compatriots Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin.
Despite coming in as the second seeds, nothing went their way as they were sent packing by Ee Yi-Yew Sin, losing 15-21, 15-21 in just 30 minutes.
In another all-Malaysian clash, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun were given a scare by Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, who pushed hard in their bid to secure a spot in the second round.
However, Wei Chong-Kai Wun regained their composure just in time to take control of the match and sealed their place in the next round with a hard-fought 30-28, 21-12 win.
Meanwhile, in the women's doubles, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah made a strong start to their campaign following the recent extension of their contracts with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
They made light work of Bulgarian sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva, securing a 21-16, 21-14 win in 31 minutes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Malaysia U23 team exits AFF Cup after draw with Indonesia
THE Malaysian Under-23 football team's journey in the 2025 AFF U23 Championship ended after a goalless draw against Indonesia in their final Group A match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The result left them third in the group, missing out on a semifinal spot. Despite the elimination, head coach Nafuzi Zain commended his players for their resilience, particularly goalkeeper Zulhilmi Sharani, who made crucial saves to deny Indonesia. 'Congratulations to all players who displayed a high degree of fighting spirit. Taking on Indonesia in front of thousands of their fans isn't easy, but the players managed to rein in their emotions and play with confidence,' he said. Nafuzi acknowledged the team's gradual improvement, noting that many players were new to international competition. 'We changed our approach in the first half to defend and wait to counterattack, before piling on the pressure in the second half in hopes for a goal,' he explained. Though disappointed with the early exit, he remained optimistic about future tournaments. 'I'm proud of the increased performance by the team. We will now focus on the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers,' he added. The match saw seven yellow cards issued, three for Malaysia and four for Indonesia, reflecting the intense battle on the field. Indonesia topped Group A with seven points, followed by the Philippines (six points), Malaysia (four points), and Brunei (zero points). - Bernama
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
BAM open for pros Sze Fei-Izzuddin to train under Herry
Duo on a mission: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will be defending their China Open title in the tourney starting today in Changzhou. PETALING JAYA: Independent men's doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani can train under coach Herry Iman Pierngadi through a win-win arrangement with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). If both sides are agreeable, pros Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who are currently under the Road to Gold (RTG) Olympic programme, can work with BAM to arrange scheduled joint training sessions under Herry. BAM secretary-general Kenny Goh said that the national body had always been open for professionals to train at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) on a scheduled basis. 'We have no problems to accept them to train with us, perhaps on a scheduled basis. At the moment, there isn't any request from them,' said Kenny. Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who left BAM at the end of August last year to turn independent, seemed interested to return to the national fold a few months ago but they did not follow through. The possibility may have been more attractive for the duo due to the presence of Herry, who replaced Tan Bin Shen as the men's doubles head coach in February. The legendary Indonesian has already made his mark, guiding Aaron-Wooi Yik to the Asian Championships, Singapore Open and Thailand Open titles and helped Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun triumph in the Malaysian Masters. Sze Fei-Izzuddin also had praised Herry's coaching after taking part in joint training sessions in the lead-up to the Sudirman Cup in April. After a dip in form, the pair seem to have regained some of their best performances in the Japan Open where they finished runners-up to South Korea's Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho in Tokyo on Sunday. It was Sze Fei-Izzuddin's first final since capturing the Indian Open in January. The pair are next attempting to defend their China Open title in the tourney starting today in Changzhou. Sze Fei-Izzuddin have a tricky opening match against South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk-Ki Dong-ju. Meanwhile, Aaron-Wooi Yik will face Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard in the first round and will be out to make amends after a shock opening round exit at the hands of fellow Malaysians Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi in Japan. The other Malaysians in the fray in the men's doubles are Wei Chong-Kai Wun, Yew Sin-Ee Yi, Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Mohd Haikal Nazri-Choong Hon Jian.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Paris dream within reach
Familiar faces: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah will meet younger teammates Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting in the China Open. PETALING JAYA: The dream of winning a historic medal in the women's doubles in the World Championships is looking closer to a reality for in-form shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah. No Malaysian women's pair have ever managed to capture a medal in the world meet but Pearly-Thinaah seem to be the country's best bet to finally end the elusive wait in the prestigious tourney this year which will be held just a month from now from Aug 25-31 in Paris. The world No. 3 duo have come the closest after former world No. 1 Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty when they reached the quarter-finals in the last edition in 2023 but fell to a heartbreaking defeat to China's Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu in Copenhagen. Eei Hui-Pei Tty also reached the last eight in 2007 at home in Kuala Lumpur but were denied by another Chinese duo Yang Wei-Zhang Jiewen. Reaching the semi-finals will guarantee at least a bronze and Pearly-Thinaah are heading in the right direction to achieve the feat. The duo have been in fine form this year and made it into the finals in their last two tournaments – the Indonesian Open last month and Japan Open on Sunday. Although Pearly-Thinaah missed out on the titles after going down to China's world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning in both finals, they look ready to match the world's top pairs in the biggest tournaments and are shaping up nicely for the world meet. In the Indonesian tourney, Pearly-Thinaah reached their maiden World Tour Super 1000 final and followed it up in Japan by progressing into their first Super 750 title match since capturing the French Open crown in 2022. The pair notably secured a morale-boosting win over home favourites and world No. 2 Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida in the last four of the Japan tourney. Pearly-Thinaah have also become a more consistent pair this year, triumphing in the Thailand Open in May and finishing runners-up in the Indonesian Masters in January. Women's doubles coach Rosman Razak is happy with his charges' progress ahead of the world meet and hopes the pair can maintain their form in the China Open which starts today in Changzhou to build momentum for the showpiece event in Paris. 'Although Pearly-Thinaah missed out on the title, they played quite well in the Japan Open,' said Rosman. 'They are progressing well and they want to remain positive for this week's China Open. The most important is their recovery process ahead of this tournament.' Meanwhile, doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes another podium finish in China is possible for Pearly-Thinaah. 'It's good to see that Pearly-Thinaah have become consistent by reaching finals more regularly,' said Rexy. 'Hopefully, they can finish on the podium again in China.' Pearly-Thinaah will open their campaign in Changzhou against younger teammates Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting. If the pair reach the semi-finals, they could lock horns with Matsuyama-Shida again. The other Malaysians in action in the women's doubles are Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee, who should have little trouble getting past Poland's Paulina Hankiewicz-Kornelia Marczak in the first round.
