Three mixed pairs advance into second round in Japan Open
Leading the charge at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium were sixth seeds Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie. The duo were in fine form, easily dispatching Thailand's Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat 21-15, 21-10.
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The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
Back in the swing
Party time: Indonesia's Fajar Alfian (right) and Shohibul Fikri dancing in celebration after winning the China Open men's doubles final against Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in Changzhou. — AFP PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi believes shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are slowly regaining their best form heading into the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris. Expectations were high on world No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik to continue their impressive run in the Japan Open in Tokyo last week but the pair suffered a shock first-round defeat at the hands of fellow Malaysians Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi. It was the duo's second first-round exit after suffering the same fate in the Indonesian Open in Jakarta in June. While the slip in Indonesia was due to the pair's exhausting run which included three back-to-back finals where they captured the Thailand Open and Singapore Open titles and finished runners-up in the Malaysian Masters, the capitulation in Japan was more worrying. Aaron-Wooi Yik, though, proved that it was only a blip when they roared back to reach the final in China. Although the duo could not crown their great run with the title after losing 15-21, 14-21 to Indonesia's scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri in Changzhou on Sunday, Herry is happy with his charges for bouncing back after the disappointment in Japan. 'Although they lost in the final, Aaron-Wooi Yik are getting back to their best,' said Herry. 'In the final, they lost due to Fajar-Shohibul's strategy which was spot on. The opponents controlled the net and put a lot of pressure on Aaron-Wooi Yik. 'They made it difficult for our pair to play like they did in the semi-final (against India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty). Our game plan simply didn't work this time. 'Overall, it's still a positive outing for us ahead of the World Championships,' added Herry. Herry is next looking to sharpen Aaron-Wooi Yik's game further in his bid to guide them to glory in the world meet. The pair remain Malaysia's best bet for gold in Paris. Aaron-Wooi Yik created history in 2022 by becoming the first Malaysians to capture the world title in badminton. The duo won bronze a year later in 2023 after they were denied in the last four by South Korea's Seo Seung-jae-Kang Min-hyuk, who went on to win gold. The competition was not held last year due to the Paris Olympics where Aaron-Wooi Yik came away with the bronze. Another fine outing in Paris in the world meet this time is not beyond reach for Aaron-Wooi Yik, especially under Herry, who has transformed them into multiple title winners. The pair claimed gold in the Asian Championships for the first time in April to go with their title triumphs in Thailand and Singapore and are hungry to add another world crown to their collection.
The Star
20 hours ago
- The Star
Roy King-Arif hoping to shine in Macau Open
Malaysia men's doubles shuttlers Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King celebrates after winning over Taiwan's Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan during the second round of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Thursday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi have an opportunity to make their mark when they compete in the World Tour Super 300 Macau Open which starts today. Roy King-Arif, who are currently ranked No. 24 in the world, have struggled for consistency this year and suffered first-round exits in the back-to-back Japan Open and China Open over the last two weeks after losing to world No. 7 teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun both times. The pair's best result this year is a semi-final finish in the Orleans Masters in March. Roy King-Arif will be keen to do better in Macau where they are seeded fourth. The duo though will face a stern challenge for the title from Indonesia's world No. 8 Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza and India's world No. 12 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, who are seeded first and second respectively. Before that, the Malaysians have a tricky opening test against China's Ren Xiangyu-Sun Wenjun. Roy King-Arif's best result so far in their careers is a runners-up finish in the Spain Masters which was also a Super 300 event last year.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
China make ambition clear with four home titles in all-local finals
PETALING JAYA: China sent a warning to their rivals ahead of the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris by sweeping four titles in the home Open in all-local finals. Men's singles shuttler Shi Yuqi (pic) led the charge when he fought hard to beat surprise finalist Wang Zhengxing 14-21, 21-14, 21-15 in 64 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou yesterday. World No. 2 Yuqi was the hot favourite against world No. 23 Zhengxing and duly proved his class and experience by capturing his first crown in the home Open and third World Tour Super 1000 title of the year after triumphing in the Malaysian Open and All-England. In the women's singles, world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi secured the title with a commanding 21-8, 21-13 victory over world No. 3 Han Yue in a one-sided final. Han Yue had made it into the title match after South Korea's world No. 1 An Se-young retired from their semi-final match while trailing 19-21, 6-11 due to a knee injury a day earlier. World No. 1 pairs Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning and Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping had earlier justified their top billings by claiming the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles respectively. Shengshu-Tan Ning overcame a stiff challenge from world No. 7 Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian, coming out on top 24-22, 17-21, 21-14 in a thrilling match which lasted 69 minutes. It was the duo's fourth title of the year after their wins in the Indonesian Open, Japan Open and Malaysian Masters and underlined their status as favourites for gold in the world meet. Yanzhe-Dongping also flexed their muscles by ousting world No. 2 Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin 23-21, 21-17, denying the latter back-to-back titles after their success in the Japan Open last week. Yanzhe-Dongping added to their victories this year in the Malaysian Masters and Thailand Open. China will now be in confident mood ahead of the Paris showpiece with the pressure now firmly on their rivals in the world meet.
