Letshanaa smashes into first Super 300 quarter-final in Taiwan
KUALA LUMPUR: K. Letshanaa stormed into her first Super 300 quarter-final with a gritty win at the Taiwan Open on Thursday.
The world No. 50 battled past Taiwan's Chiu Pin Chian 21-19, 17-21, 26-24 in a 71-minute thriller to book her spot in the last eight.
Letshanaa, who finished runner-up at last year's Indonesia Masters II in Surabaya, now faces world No. 15 Sim Yu Jin of South Korea on Friday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
7 days ago
- New Straits Times
Getting tips from seniors to slay samurai shuttlers
KUALA LUMPUR: Their seniors have just done it, beat Japan's former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi. And now, world No. 41 Haikal Nazri-Choong Hon Jian hope to get a tip or two from Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik on how to overcome Hoki-Kobayashi in their Indonesia Open opener tomorrow. Haikal-Hon Jian lost to the samurais in the Malaysia Masters last 16 two weeks ago, and to get their revenge, they must do something, particularly in the all-important "first three shots" of each rally. Teammates Aaron-Wooi Yik might just be the perfect source of insight, having recently snapped an eight-match losing streak against Hoki-Kobayashi en route to clinching the Singapore Open title. Previously, Aaron-Wooi Yik had a dismal head-to-head record of just two victories in 11 encounters with Hoki-Kobayashi. Haikal revealed he had approached Aaron during a training session in Singapore last week, but they didn't get to go into detail. "I spoke to Aaron, but we didn't have time to discuss in depth. I'll definitely try to approach him again at the Indonesia Open," he said. Haikal said national coach Herry IP had pointed out the similarities between their playing style and Hoki-Kobayashi's. "Both pairs play with an attacking approach, we don't lift the shuttle much," said Haikal. "However, Hoki-Kobayashi are very sharp in executing the first three shots. That put us under pressure and forced us into defensive lifts. "We lacked speed and quality in those early exchanges, and that made us uncomfortable throughout the match." Haikal believes he and Hon Jian still need time to find their rhythm, having only recently returned from a long injury layoff. The Indonesia Open will be their fifth tournament since resuming action at the Taiwan Open. So far, they have managed just one win — against Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Kittinupong Kedren at the Malaysia Masters, and exiting in the first round of the others. "It's been a struggle to catch up since our comeback. We'll bide our time and gradually make progress," said Haikal. Haikal-Hon Jian, winners of two Super 300 titles, were once ranked as high as world No. 18, but their momentum was disrupted by injuries, first to Hon Jian late last year, followed by Haikal, which saw them only return to action in May. Meanwhile, world No. 33 Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien's campaign in the Indonesia Open mixed doubles ended in the first round following a 21-11, 21-16 defeat to Indonesia's Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu.
New Straits Times
30-05-2025
- New Straits Times
Bad line calls fuel Aaron-Khai Xing's fire for first World Tour title
KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing have put last week's umpiring controversy at the Malaysia Masters behind them as they refocus on chasing their maiden World Tour title. The world No. 53 were left frustrated by three poor line calls from Swiss umpire Peter Meszaros during their narrow second-round defeat to Denmark's world No. 16 Rasmus Kjaer- Frederik Sogaard (21-10, 24-26, 21-16) at Axiata Arena. The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has since lodged an official complaint with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) over the standard of officiating. "We were quite frustrated after the incident, but we got over it within a day," said Khai Xing. "The whole episode has actually made us mentally stronger. If it happens again, we'll be ready." The pair, who are reigning world junior champions, are now turning their attention to improving their performances and hope to land at least a Super 300 title this season. Khai Xing added that national coach Herry IP has been pushing him to develop more power and consistency from the baseline. "The coaches want me to be more lethal from the backcourt. I've got to add more sting to my attacking game." He also admitted that starting slow has been a recurring issue for the pair. "We often take time to settle into matches - that's something we really need to fix to achieve better results." Aaron-Khai Xing are preparing for the Macau Open on July 29-Aug 3, followed by the Hong Kong Open (Sept 9-14) and Korea Open (Sept 23-28). The pair are aiming to crack the world's top 32, which would open the door to play in the elite Super 750 and Super 1000 events.
New Straits Times
29-05-2025
- New Straits Times
Reunited Tang Jie-Ee Wei fall in Singapore Open second round
KUALA LUMPUR: Mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei's return to the World Tour ended in the second round of the Singapore Open today. The world No. 4 suffered a 21-18, 21-18 defeat to Taiwan's world No. 21 Ye Hong Wei-Nicole Chan in 39 minutes. The Singapore Open was Tang Jie-Ee Wei's first World Tour event since their temporary split after the All England in March due to personal differences. Tang Jie partnered Chan Wen Tse while Ee Wei combined with Loo Bing Kun for the Taiwan Open (May 6-11) and Malaysia Masters last week. Tang Jie-Wen Tse reached the semi-finals while Bing Kun-Ee Wei reached the last eight at the Taiwan Open. Hong Wei-Nicole had also beaten Bing Kun-Ee Wei in the second round of the Malaysia Masters. The Indonesia Open on June 3-8 will be Tang Jie-Ee Wei's next tournament. The second-seeded Malaysians begin their campaign against India's world No. 16 Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto and are likely to face compatriots and world No. 5 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai in the semi-finals.
