Latest news with #All-England
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Sze Fei-Izzuddin miss chance to make history, set to lose world No. 1 ranking
PETALING JAYA: It was a double blow for shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani after the duo missed out on their second consecutive Japan Open title and are also set to lose their world No. 1 ranking. Yesterday (July 19), Sze Fei-Izzuddin went down 16-21, 17-21 to South Korean hotshots Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho in the final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Seung-jae-Won-ho, who are currently ranked No. 3 in the world, would also officially take over from Sze Fei-Izzuddin as the new world No. 1 pair when the rankings list updates tomorrow (July 21). The independent pair were hoping to become the first Malaysians in the men's doubles to win the title in Japan more than once, but found the Koreans too hot to handle and lost out in a fast-paced match lasting just 38 minutes. Sze Fei admitted that Seung-jae-Won-ho were the better pair on the day. "The Koreans are very fast. We tried to catch up with them, but they were just too good," said Sze Fei, in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). "We had nothing to prove against them. We just wanted to play our best and enjoy the game." It was Sze Fei-Izzuddin's second defeat to Seung-jae-Won-ho in three meetings after also coming up second best to the latter in the All-England second round in March. The Malaysians' sole victory over the high-flying Koreans so far came in the Indian Open final in January. Seung-jae-Won-ho have established themselves as the pair to beat this year as they added the Japan Open crown to their titles in the All-England, Malaysian Open, German Open and Indonesian Open. The 27-year-old Seung-jae also gained sweet revenge over Sze Fei-Izzuddin after losing to the latter in the final in Japan last year with former partner Kang Min-hyuk. Sze Fei-Izzuddin, though, can take heart that this is their best showing this year since their triumph at the Indian Open. The pair had made it to their first final since the win in India after failing to reach the last four in all their other outings this year. Sze Fei-Izzuddin are now looking to bounce back quickly in the China Open, which starts tomorrow in Changzhou. The duo are hoping to defend their title in China and snatch back their No. 1 ranking from Seung-jae-Won-ho. "We will prepare ourselves better next time and just focus on ourselves," said Izzuddin.
The Star
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tang Jie-Ee Wei on their toes against giant-killing Indonesian pair
National mixed double shuttler Toh Ee Wei - Chen Tang Jie react during quarter-final match at the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will need to be on high alert when they take on Indonesia's Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu in the second round of the Japan Open today. Jafar-Felisha, ranked No. 14 in the world, sent shockwaves in the opening round by ousting All-England champions Guo Xinwa-Cheng Fanghui 21-12, 21-17. Their upset win serves as a timely reminder that they are more than capable of derailing Tang Jie-Ee Wei's campaign in Tokyo. Tang Jie and Ee Wei, however, can take heart from their previous meeting with the Indonesians, which saw the Malaysians emerge victorious in the second round of the Indonesian Masters in January. However, Jafar-Felisha have a win over Tang Jie under their belt in the Taiwan Open semi-finals, although he was then paired up with junior shuttler Chan Wen Tse. In the first round of the Japan Open, Tang Jie-Ee Wei got off to a solid start with a 21-15, 21-19 win over Canada's Kevin Lee-Josephine Wu. Also bidding for a place in the quarter-finals are husband-and-wife duo Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, who will face Singapore's Terry Hee and his new partner Jin Yu Jia. Soon Huat-Shevon barely broke a sweat in their opener, cruising past Thailand's Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat 21-15, 21-10. Meanwhile, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin will have their work cut out for them when they go up against defending champions and second seeds Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin of China. Pang Ron-Su Yin are still trying to find their rhythm but showed resilience in their first-round win over the United States' Presley Smith-Jennie Gai, coming through 21-19, 12-21, 21-16. The Malaysians can draw confidence from their last meeting with Zhenbang-Yaxin at the China Masters last November, where they pulled off an upset to register their first win in three encounters. The only Malaysian pair to bow out in the opening round were Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien, who went down 9-21, 8-21 to Japan's Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara.
The Star
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Zii Jia withdraws from China Open
PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has withdrawn from the China Open which is due to start next Tuesday (July 22) in Changzhou. Zii Jia, who also pulled out of the ongoing Japan Open in Tokyo, seems to still not have fully recovered from a troublesome ankle injury which he sustained in the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last December. The Badminton World Federation's (BWF) website listed the 27-year-old as "withdrawn" from the China tourney. Team LZJ have not issued any statements yet regarding his decision to pull out and when he would likely compete again. Zii Jia has only competed in two tournaments this year - the back-to-back Orleans Masters and All-England in March. The independent player later said that he had rushed his return to competitions and had aggravated his injury.
NDTV
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Few Hours Before Saina Nehwal's Divorce Announcement, Parupalli Kashyap's Instagram Story
Indian tennis ace Saina Nehwal stunned the entire country as she announced that she and her husband Parupalli Kashyap, also a badminton player, have decided to part ways. Saina said that the couple decided to choose "peace, growth, and healing", hence they decided to break their marriage. While Kashyap himself hasn't said anything on the matter yet, he did post an Instagram story roughly 6 hours before Saina's big announcement. The Insta story didn't directly highlight his point of view on the subject of divorce, but did suggest that he is in a healthy space. The Instagram story from Kashyap saw him enjoying the Awakenings Festival, which was held from July 11-13 in Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands. In the story, Kashyap could be seen surrounded by a bunch of friends. Kashyap is also a decorated badminton player for India. He is a 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist. When he achieved the feat 11 years ago, it was the first time in 32 years that an Indian badminton player had won a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Kashyap took training from some of Indian badminton's finest coaches -- former All-England champions Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand. Parupalli is also the first Indian male badminton player to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympics. He achieved the feat at the Summer Games in 2012. He also hit his career-best world ranking of six in 2013, but injuries prevented him from maintaining the same level of performance. What Saina Nehwal Said On Separation With Parupalli Kashyap "Life takes us in different directions sometimes. After much thought and consideration, Kashyap Parupalli and I have decided to part ways. We're choosing peace, growth, and healing - for ourselves and each other," Saina, a two-time Commonwealth Games champion, wrote. "I'm grateful for the memories and wish nothing but the best moving forward. Thank you for understanding and respecting our privacy during this time," she added. Saina and Kashyap got married in December 2018. They trained together at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad from their early days. While Saina became a global icon with her Olympic bronze and world No. 1 ranking, Kashyap broke into the world top 10 and clinched the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold.
The Star
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
China test in Tokyo
Time to shine: Toh Ee Wei-Chen Tang Jie aiming to keep Malaysian flag flying high in Tokyo. PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei need a big win to restore confidence as the country's top pair. And they will get a chance to do it in the Japan Open starting tomorrow in Tokyo as the are likely to take on All-England champions Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui of China as early as the second round. Tang Jie-Ee Wei have beaten Xinwa-Fanghui in their past meetings in the China Masters and Hong Kong Open last year but the former had showed marked improvement en route to stunning teammates Feng Yanzhe-Wei Yaxin to capture the biggest title in their careers so far in the All-England in Birmingham in March. Doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes that a good showing in Japan will boost the pair's confidence. 'Tang Jie-Ee Wei's preparations have been good and they are ready for this tournament,' said Rexy. 'They could face the All-England champions in the second round and this will be a tough challenge for them but if they can overcome this pair, it will give them a confidence boost.' The world No. 4 Tang Jie-Ee Wei should have no problems getting past Canada's scratch pair Kevin Lee-Josephine Wu in the first round while Xinwa-Fanghui are also the favourites in their opening match against Indonesia's world No. 14 Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu. Tang Jie-Ee Wei are still searching for their best form and have not reached any finals so far this year. Their best results together this year were semi-final finishes in the Opens in Malaysia, India and Indonesia. Tang Jie-Ee Wei split up at the end of March due to a strained relationship before resolving their differences and reuniting quickly. The other Malaysian mixed doubles pair in the fray are world No. 6 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, world No. 13 Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin and world No. 34 Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien. Soon Huat-Shevon will open their campaign against Thailand's Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat while Pang Ron-Su Yin will play Americans Presley Smith-Jennie Gai. Homesters Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara stand in the way of Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien.
