
Hon Jian-Haikal exit China Open first round, Jun Hao advances
In contrast, Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao secured a spot in the men's singles second round after defeating Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-15, 21-18. His next challenge will be top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.
Meanwhile, mixed doubles pair Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien staged a comeback to overcome India's Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Shivani Gadde 25-27, 21-16, 21-14. Their reward is a tough second-round clash against China's top seeds Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping. - Bernama
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Malaysian athletes show promise at WUG despite missing target
ESSEN: Malaysia wrapped up their campaign at the Rhine-Ruhr World University Games (WUG) in Germany with just two medals — a silver in swimming and a bronze in badminton. Khiew Hoe Yean ended a 34-year wait for Malaysia in the pool by bagging silver in the men's 400m freestyle, while Wong Ling Ching delivered bronze in the women's singles badminton event. Hoe Yean's silver was the country's first swimming medal at the WUG or Universiade since Jeffrey Ong's silver in the men's 1,500m freestyle at the 1991 Sheffield Games. Malaysia sent a 64-strong contingent to compete in six of the 19 sports contested at this year's edition, held across Duisburg and surrounding cities. The modest two-medal haul fell well short of the seven-medal target. Still, there were encouraging signs, particularly in the pool. Hoe Yean not only won silver but also helped set a new national record in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay alongside Arvin Shaun Singh Chahal, Lim Yin Chuen, and Tan Khai Xin. Hoe Yean also broke the national mark in his individual 400m race. Arvin Shaun posted a personal best in the men's 100m freestyle, while in athletics, Nurul Ashikin Abas (women's triple jump), the men's 4x100m, and women's 4x400m relay teams all recorded season-best times. Six Malaysians made it to the finals in their events, four of them in athletics. Among them was Azeem Fahmi, who finished fourth in the men's 100m final. The 21-year-old flag bearer and debutant showed his potential in the blue riband event but also learned how narrow the margins are at the top. The women's recurve archery team also made history by reaching the semi-finals for the first time. Despite missing the medal target, the effort, hunger and composure shown by Malaysia's young athletes against world-class opposition were widely praised. The experience gained is expected to serve them well as they build toward bigger international competitions. The Games ended with a vibrant closing ceremony at Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord. Japan topped the overall medal table with 34 golds, followed by China (30) and the United States (28). The next edition of the WUG will be hosted by Chungcheong, South Korea, in 2027. - BERNAMA


New Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
WUG 2025: Chief de Mission believes contingent capable of better results
ESSEN (Germany): The national contingent to the Rhine-Ruhr World University Games (WUG) 2025 here can be considered unlucky after failing to achieve the target of seven medals regardless of colour. Malaysia's Chief de Mission (CDM) to WUG 2025, Datuk Associate Professor Dr Mohd Hafiz Yusoff said at least three or four medals slipped out of the country's grip at the last minute, including the mixed team badminton event as well as several individual competitions apart from the women's recurve archery team. According to him, the fighting spirit shown by the athletes clearly proves their great desire to win, but several aspects need to be improved in preparation for the upcoming WUG edition. "For me, four medals were very close, for example the mixed team event and several individual events in badminton. But I can see that the athletes emotionally and mentally really want to win medals. "But for me, there may be areas in terms of technical and tactical aspects and their mental strength that we must improve for a world-class tournament like this," he said when met by reporters, here. Commenting further, Mohd Hafiz admitted that the presence of many Olympic-level athletes, especially in athletics events, posed a big challenge to the national camp. "For me, Azeem (Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi) has shown a very good performance, but the presence of top international athletes posed a major competition to us," he said. Meanwhile, he said a post-mortem would be held to streamline preparations for the 2026 Asean University Games (AUG) in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia ended the challenge here with a silver medal through the swimming champion Khiew Hoe Yean in the men's 400-metre (m) freestyle and a bronze by badminton camp through Wong Ling Ching in the women's singles. WUG 2025 officially drew its curtain with a closing ceremony that took place in a class of its own at the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord in Duisburg, early this morning Malaysia time. Japan emerged as the overall champion with 34 gold, 21 silver and 24 bronze, followed by China (30-27-17) and the United States in third place (28-27- 29), neighbouring country Thailand (2,4,4). The next WUG Games will be held in Chungcheong, South Korea in 2027. — BERNAMA


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Wrong strategy caused Aaron-Wooi Yik's China Open final loss
NATIONAL men's doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi attributed Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's loss in the 2025 China Open final to a flawed game plan. The Malaysian pair fell 15-21, 14-21 to Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou. Herry acknowledged that Fajar-Muhammad Shohibul executed a superior strategy, particularly their aggressive 'no-lift' play, which pressured Aaron-Wooi Yik from the start. 'We used the wrong strategy in the first game and struggled to recover. Their attacking precision was outstanding, with minimal errors,' he told Bernama. The coach also noted that strong air currents in the venue may have disrupted the Malaysians' rhythm. This defeat extends Aaron-Wooi Yik's streak of six consecutive Super 1000 final losses, including the All England (2019, 2024), Thailand Open (2020), China Open (2023), and Indonesia Open (2023). Fajar-Muhammad Shohibul claimed the USD 148,000 (RM 625,000) prize, while Aaron-Wooi Yik earned USD 70,000 (RM 296,000) as runners-up. - Bernama