Aidil armed with confidence after Thai battle
The independent shuttler did quite well in battling his way through the qualifiers and reaching the second round of the Thailand Open. He has never gone this far in a Super 500 event previously.
In Bangkok, world No. 48 Aidil put up a commendable fight against China's world No. 14 Lu Guang Zu before going down 21-18, 16-21, 14-21.
Now, the 25-year-old hopes to build on that momentum at the Malaysia Masters.
"I'm quite happy with my performance in Thailand. I was able to compete with a world top 20 player like Guang Zu," said Aidil.
He will once again have to navigate the qualifying rounds for a place in the main draw of the Malaysia Masters.
If Aidil makes the tournament proper, he will face Taiwan's world No. 7 and third seed Chou Tien Chen in the opening round. The two last met in the second round of the Taiwan Open two weeks ago, with the Malaysian losing in straight games.
"I aim to reach the main draw again, but it won't be easy," said Aidil today.
If Aidil meets Tien Chen again, the former will remind himself to be patient. "I wasn't patient enough in that match (Taiwan Open) and made too many errors. If I had reduced my mistakes, I believe the result would have been different."
Aidil, who parted ways with BAM last year to train under Indonesian Nova Armada, will meet Taiwan's world No. 79 Huang Yu Kai in the first round of the Malaysia Masters qualifiers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Herry calls for 'Malaysia United' at World Championships
KUALA LUMPUR: This has even sounded awkward to Malaysian media covering Malaysian badminton. This also gives the impression that there are two camps. It's about the description given to the country's top shuttlers, who found themselves known as "national players", "BAM players", "independent players" or "professional players." And such differentiation is perturbing to national men's doubles coach Herry IP. Herry, who incidentally is Indonesian, doesn't want to see the "two sides" of Malaysia at the Paris World Championships next week. He said Malaysia's representatives at the World Championships must be seen as one team, whether they come from BAM or are independents. Compete as a team, fight as a team, the mantra goes. Look at football, where great sides like Manchester United embody such spirit, the word UNITED so profound. So, for Herry, it should be Malaysia United (MU). On paper, the BAM challengers are Leong Jun Hao, K. Letshanaa, Aaron Chia, Soh Woi Yik, Man Wei Chong, Tee Kai Wun, Arif Junaidi, Yap Roy King, Pearly Tan, M. Thinaah, Go Pei Kee, Teoh Mei Xing, Chen Tang Jie, Toh Ee Wei, Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin. At the other end, the independents are Lee Zii Jia, Goh Jin Wei, Goh Sze Fei, Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai. "I don't want to look at it as 'Oh, this is BAM, these are independents.' They are all from Malaysia," said Herry. Herry stressed that this year's edition carries extra meaning, with the final falling on Aug 31, Merdeka Day. "We should support each other and give a gift to the country. A present for Independence Day would be one of the best things they can deliver," he said. While second seeds Aaron-Wooi Yik are Malaysia's best bets for a world title, Herry believes the others can mount a strong challenge as well in Paris. "We can challenge for titles. Whoever are more prepared and take their chances on the day will win."
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Formula One unlikely to return to Sepang, MotoGP the priority, says SIC
PETALING JAYA: Sepang International Circuit (SIC) has made it clear that their current priority is to make sure Malaysia continues to host MotoGP and has downplayed the possibility of Formula One making a comeback to Sepang. During a recent MotoGP event, SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif said Malaysia must look to secure hosting rights for MotoGP and should avoid "making the same mistake" by letting Formula One go. He went on to add that SIC and a number of other stakeholders are keen on having Formula One return to Sepang but highlighted the high organising costs and long waiting list to get on the race calendar. This sparked excitement and debate on whether Malaysia should host Formula One again. SIC, however, released a statement on Wednesday (Aug 20) reaffirming their commitment to MotoGP. Malaysia's current deal with Dorna Sports to host the pinnacle of two-wheeled racing expires in 2026 and is due for renewal. "SIC wishes to clarify recent media reports. Our CEO's recent remarks referred specifically to the renewal of the MotoGP Malaysia contract beyond 2026, and not in relation to the potential return of Formula One. "While Formula One remains a significant part of our history, regaining its hosting rights has proven to be both complex and costly. "The key priority is safeguarding MotoGP, which continues to resonate strongly with Malaysian fans and remains more accessible from both a spectator and organisational standpoint," he said, adding that Malaysia's contract to host MotoGP runs until 2026. "SIC is fully committed to working closely with the government through the Youth and Sports Ministry as well as with Dorna Sports and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the continuation of this world-class and longest running international event in Malaysia." Sepang, which was purpose-built to run Formula One races, hosted Formula One from 1999 until 2017. The decision to drop the race was made in 2017 due to high organising costs.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Pekan: No shortcut to success, we have to change our ways
KUALA LUMPUR: To truly develop athletes who can compete for honours at the highest level, Malaysia must shift its approach to sports and commit to a clear, long-term strategy. That is the view of sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli when asked what his long-term wish for Malaysian sports is. Pekan said there is no shortcut to success when competing at the highest level. "If we really want to be successful, we have to change our ways and change our mindset. We cannot continue doing things the way we are now," said Pekan recently. "We cannot only aim to be Sea Games champions when we host the games, we have to aim to become the champions when it is held abroad. "To achieve this and also be successful at the Olympics, we have to plan accordingly and focus on the long-term. "We have to look at the grassroots we have now and focus on developing them. Have a clear timeline on what these young athletes have to achieve and by when. We have to set benchmarks. "The Road to Gold (RTG) programme only focuses on current athletes and while some might see this as a shortcut (to Olympic gold), there really is no such thing when competing at the highest level. "We have to start from the bottom and our efforts have to be continuous. Development or training programmes cannot only be done when we have a competition coming up." Malaysia has emerged overall champions of the Sea Games twice in 2001 and 2017, both held in Kuala Lumpur, but has never won it abroad. The national contingent suffered its worst-ever outing at the Sea Games during the 2023 Phnom Penh edition where it finished a lowly seventh overall on 34 gold, 45 silver and 97 bronzes, falling short of the 40-gold target set for them. Pekan added that funding for national sports associations must also be stabilised. He praised the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) for their plan to establish a National Sports Endowment Fund. "NSAs need funds to conduct their development programmes. Without adequate funding, development suffers," said Pekan. "Not all associations have the ability to go out and secure sponsors on their own. "And as I said earlier, we cannot keep doing things the same way. "I think OCM's Endowment Fund is a great idea. OCM is aware of the challenges that their affiliates are facing and have come up with this. "This fund will also help reduce NSAs'dependency on government funding". OCM hopes to secure contributions from the private sector which includes corporations and foundations as well as individuals to support the Endowment Fund. OCM will then distribute the funds accordingly. OCM hopes to launch the Endowment Fund by the end of the year.
