Latest news with #Antonsen
New Straits Times
08-08-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Justin's deep dive with Danish masters
KUALA LUMPUR: Men's singles shuttler Justin Hoh is excited about the opportunity to learn from world No. 2 Anders Antonsen in a training stint with the Danish national team in Copenhagen from August 18–22. The training camp is arranged by national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen for World Championships-bound men's singles Leong Jun Hao and women's singles K. Letshanaa. Although Justin did not qualify for the World Championships, he believes this will be a great opportunity to gain valuable insights from Antonsen. Justin, who finished second at the Macau Open last Sunday, is set to continue playing in several World Tour events later this year. Antonsen, an independent player, has joined the Danish national team in Copenhagen in their preparations for the World Championships. "I'm really happy because it's my first time training in a different environment. "I also get to train with top players like Antonsen, so I'm very excited. "I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can," said Justin. "I think discipline, both on and off the court, is something I can learn from him, as it's an area I know I need to work on. "I'm really grateful for this opportunity to go to Denmark. "After that, I have quite a few tournaments coming up, and I hope to perform well in the final few months of the year." Justin will also be training with world No. 29 Rasmus Gemke, No. 63 Mads Christophersen and No. 73 Magnus Johannesen during the five-day stint. However, the 21-year-old Malaysian's hopes of training with world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen will not materialise, as the two-time Olympic champion has withdrawn from the World Championships to continue his rehabilitation following a back surgery in April. Meanwhile, Justin remains optimistic about maintaining his momentum after reaching his first Super 300 final in Macau. Still, he believes it may take until next year to secure a title due to the high level of competition in the Super 300 and Super 500 events he is scheduled to compete in for the remainder of the year. "It's tough to win a title because I've been playing in Super 300 and 500 tournaments where the opponents are very strong," said Justin. "Right now, my main target is to break into the top 32 first. Hopefully, I can focus on winning a title next year." Justin will return home after the Danish training stint to prepare for the Hong Kong Open (Sept 9-14) and the China Masters (Sept 16-21), where he will compete in the qualifying rounds.
Daily Mirror
30-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Boy, 9, found dead sitting up surrounded by gallons of urine and deadly spiders
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT - Joseph Antonsen, 39, was sentenced to 15 years in jail after leaving his son's body to decompose at a property filled with rubbish A dad has been jailed for more than a decade after police found his nine-year-old son dead and sitting upright on the sofa surrounded by gallons of urine and deadly black widow spiders. Joseph Antonsen, 39, was sentenced to 15 years in a state correctional facility plus 20 years of probation after he failed to call for help when the boy's heart stopped in July last year. Instead, he left his son's body to decompose at the rubbish-filled property in Picture Rocks, Arizona, before making a call to police. It comes after a girl, 3, was found dead on a popular Greece tourist beach by a horrified passer-by. Antonsen's defense attorney told a court on Friday that his client was battling severe mental health and substance abuse issues, but the judge said the youngster's death was still entirely preventable, KVOA reports. "You knew you needed help and, for whatever reason - even with the resources around you from your parents, both emotional and financial - you were not able to correct your behaviour and the devastation that you were surrounding your child with," Pima County Superior Judge Kimberly Ortiz said, according to the station. The dad previously pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse, including one count of child abuse where the abuser knew he might cause severe injury or death. Antonsen had himself called 911 alerting them to the deceased nine-year-old boy, telling investigators his son had "become ill" two days prior. Officers arrived to find the house covered in filth, with no water, no functioning toilets and the child's decomposing body surrounded by soiled nappies, rubbish and jugs full of urine. The house was also teeming with deadly Black Widow and Brown Recluse spiders. "Joseph also stated that he was going to take him to get medically checked and on that day he went out to turn on his vehicle and then went back inside the house to put a shirt on," a probable cause affidavit stated. "He noticed that his son was 'shuttering and going limp,' he stated that after that, he could not find a pulse and stated he was not breathing." Instead of calling for help, the dad left the property, went to an unknown location and did not return until two days later, on July 14. "When deputies entered the home they described it as being cluttered and also noticed piles of garbage around and near the couch where [the victim] was located along with lots of empty beer cans, large piles of soiled diapers, rotten foods, large amounts of one gallon bottles full of what appear to be urine, lots of insect activity, spiders like black widows and brown recluse were observed inside the home along with spiderwebs everywhere throughout all the walls of the home," the affidavit stated. "It was also discovered that the home had no running water or working toilets. When Deputies located who was in the couch in a sitting position, they stated that he was in the process of decomposition." A neighbour of the boy, who said used to play with her daughter, said: "His son was really cute. He was a really friendly kid. He was very polite. He was a lot friendlier than his dad."
New Straits Times
15-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
World-class sparring could be singles' winning shot, says Jonassen
KUALA LUMPUR: The BA of Malaysia (BAM) may open its doors to world-class talent in a bid to fast-track the revival of its struggling singles department. Coaching director Kenneth Jonassen believes that exposing national players to elite-level sparring partners — including the likes of world No. 2 Anders Antonsen — is crucial to bridging the gap with the world's best. "Training alongside players like Antonsen gives our players a real sense of the level they must reach — technically, tactically and mentally," said Jonassen. "Antonsen was here four weeks ago to prepare for the Singapore Open last month, and the experience was invaluable. We want to create more of these opportunities." Among those who gained from the sessions with Antonsen were Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh, who all have been inconsistent this year. Jonassen, however, has come under scrutiny recently following his shuttlers' early exits at the Malaysia Masters last month. On Friday, BAM president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz acknowledged the recent success of national doubles pairs but stressed that more attention was needed in singles. Despite inconsistent progress since taking over in January, Jonassen remains adamant that long-term planning is the only way forward. "Everything we do here is one long preparation for the future. We cannot train only at the level we are currently at because when the time comes to step up, we may find ourselves unprepared. That slows down the learning process," he said. Jonassen also admitted that women's singles, in particular, has seen rapid evolution, with top players now blending physical ability with tactical acumen. "The best women's singles players can both create and counter points. That's something we need to incorporate into our daily training," said the Dane, who has been tasked with reshaping Malaysia's singles programme. "It's not just about practising for where we are now. It's about preparing to become someone who can challenge the very best. We need to practise what is required at the highest level. "The complexity of winning points is not simply about hitting winners. Sometimes you need to outsmart your opponent, to change tactics mid-match. "As our players rise through the world rankings, they will face opponents with these capabilities. If they've never encountered or trained for it, it becomes very difficult to win." He also said that while the men's singles department has no shortage of raw talent, consistency remains a major issue. "Training harder is important, but we must also train smarter — replicating the pressure, pace, and intensity of real tournaments in daily sessions," he added.
Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Dane Anders Antonsen and South Korea's An Se-young win Indonesia Open crowns
Denmark's Anders Antonsen celebrates his victory against Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-chen in the men's singles final at the Indonesia Open badminton tournament at Istora Senayan in Jakarta on June 8, 2025. PHOTO: AFP JAKARTA, Indonesia – Danish third seed Anders Antonsen beat Taiwanese Chou Tien-chen 22-20, 21-14 to clinch his first Indonesia Open men's singles title on Sunday, while South Korea's An Se-young fought back from a game down to claim her second women's singles crown. The emotional win marked a long-awaited triumph for Antonsen, who had finished as runner-up in 2019 against Chou and again in 2024 against Shi Yuqi, but finally clinched the Super 1000 title on his third appearance in the final. Chou raced to a 15-10 lead in the opening game, but Antonsen clawed his way back to edge it 22-20. The second game was far more one-sided, with Antonsen dominating. Moments after sealing the victory, Antonsen collapsed flat on his back, arms outstretched, as the weight of past near-misses and years of perseverance came pouring out. The Olympic gold medallist An beat Chinese world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi 13-21, 21-19, 21-15. An, ranked No. 1 in the world, had won her first Indonesia Open in 2021, while Wang was chasing a first crown at the event. Wang was off to a bright start, powering her way to a 10-17 lead before comfortably closing out the opening game. An was once again backed into a corner as a dominant Wang raced to a 5-0 lead in the second game. But the 23-year-old turned the game on its head to level at 18-18 and eventually forced a decider. An was made to work hard, but the All England Open champion held her nerve to come out on top, winning six of the last 11 points in the final game. In the women's doubles final, China's world No. 1 pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning overcame fourth-ranked Malaysian duo Thinaah Muralitharan and Pearly Tan 23-25, 21-12, 21-19. It was heartbreak for the hosts in the men's doubles as Indonesian pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Isfahani fought hard but fell short in the second and third games against the fifth-seeded duo Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae of South Korea. The final result was 18-21, 21-19, 21-12 to the Koreans. French pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue took home the mixed doubles title after a 21-16, 21-18 victory over Thai duo Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran. "I couldn't believe it," Gicquel said. "We never thought we'd get this far after the first round. It's crazy, it was one of our goals to win a big tournament this year. It's a lot of hard work behind this, so we're grateful." It is France's first Super 1000 title. "We are so happy to make badminton a bit more popular (in France) with this win," Delrue said. "I hope we'll get more media and more players coming to play. I wanted to be the first to win a big tournament so that's done." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Hindu
08-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Dane Antonsen and South Korea's An win Indonesia Open crown
Danish third seed Anders Antonsen beat Taiwanese Chou Tien-chen 22-20 21-14 to clinch his first Indonesia Open men's singles title on Sunday, while South Korea's An Se-young fought back from a game down to claim her second women's singles crown. The emotional win marked a long-awaited triumph for Antonsen, who had finished as runner-up in 2019 against Tien-chen and again in 2024 against Shi Yuqi, but finally clinched the Super 1000 title on his third appearance in the final. Tien-chen raced to a 15-10 lead in the opening game, but Antonsen clawed his way back to edge it 22-20. The second game was far more one-sided, with Antonsen dominating. Moments after sealing the victory, Antonsen collapsed flat on his back, arms outstretched, as the weight of past near-misses and years of perseverance came pouring out. The Olympic gold medallist An Se-young beat Chinese world number two Wang Zhiyi 13-21 21-19 21-15. An, ranked number one in the world, had won her first Indonesia Open in 2021, while Wang was chasing a first crown at the event. Wang was off to a bright start, powering her way to a 10-17 lead before comfortably closing out the opening game. An was once again backed into a corner as a dominant Wang raced to a 5-0 lead in the second game. But the 23-year-old turned the game on its head to level at 18-18 and eventually forced a decider. An was made to work hard, but the All England Open champion held her nerve to come out on top, winning six of the last 11 points in the final game. In the women's doubles final, China's world number one pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning overcame fourth-ranked Malaysian duo Thinaah Muralitharan and Pearly Tan 23-25 21-12 21-19. It was heartbreak for the hosts in the men's doubles as Indonesian pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Isfahani fought hard but fell short in the second and third games against the fifth-seeded duo Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-Jae of South Korea. The final result was 18-21 21-19 21-12 to the Koreans. French pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue took home the mixed doubles title after a 21-16 21-18 victory over Thai duo Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran. "I couldn't believe it," Gicquel said. "We never thought we'd get this far after the first round. It's crazy, it was one of our goals to win a big tournament this year. It's a lot of hard work behind this, so we're grateful." It is France's first Super 1000 title. "We are so happy to make badminton a bit more popular (in France) with this win," Delrue said. "I hope we'll get more media and more players coming to play. I wanted to be the first to win a big tournament so that's done."
