Latest news with #ChoongHonJian-MohdHaikalNazri
The Star
01-08-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Malaysia lock in final spot as doubles dominate in Macau
National men's doubles shuttlers Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: The men's doubles squad have already secured a spot in the Macau Open final, even though the tournament is only at the quarter-final stage. In Friday's (Aug 1) action at the Macau East Asian Games Dome, Mohd Haikal Nazri-Choong Hon Jian continued their impressive run by stunning second seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty with a thrilling 21-14, 13-21, 22-20 win in a gripping 60-minute battle. They will take on fellow Malaysians Wan Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King, who defeated seniors Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong 21-12, 21-16 in another quarter-final tie. The all-Malaysian semi-final promises to be an intriguing clash, especially as Haikal and Arif were once partners for five years and even reached the top of the world junior rankings before going their separate ways in 2023. However, it was the end of the road for Choi Sol-gyu-Goh V Shem after they fell to Indonesia's Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza Isfahani in straight games, losing 18-21, 13-21. Earlier in the men's singles, Malaysia's sole representative Justin Hoh pulled off a surprise by defeating 2019 World Championships bronze medallist Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand 21-9, 21-18 in just 37 minutes. Justin will face India's Tharun Mannepalli in the semi-finals on Saturday. There was more joy in the mixed doubles camp as both Malaysian pairs secured impressive wins to reach the last four. Top seeds Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei made short work of Indonesia's Adnan Maulana-Indah Cahya Sari Jamil, winning 21-17, 22-20, while teammates Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing pulled off an upset by beating second seeds Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi 21-12, 17-21, 21-18. In the semi-finals, Tang Jie-Ee Wei will take on Denmark's Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje, while Jimmy-Pei Jing will go up against Indonesia's Amri Syahnawi-Nita Marwah.
The Star
30-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Hon Jian-Haikal out to break curse of early exits
Superb start: Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri celebrate after winning first round match at the Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil. IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: After enduring nine months of early exits, men's doubles pair Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri now have a golden opportunity to break their jinx when they face Japan's Tori Aizawa-Daisuke Sano in the second round of the Macau Open today. Hon Jian-Haikal got off to a strong start in Macau by defeating Singapore's Wesley Koh-Junsuke Kubo 21-15, 21-14 in the opening round. Although it will be their first meeting, Hon Jian-Haikal hold a slight psychological edge on paper as they are ranked higher at world No. 52, compared to the Japanese pair's No. 90. It has been a tough season for Hon Jian-Haikal, who made headlines last year by winning the Orleans Masters. Since returning from injury, the duo have struggled to regain their rhythm and confidence. Their last notable run came at the Malaysia Super 100 in Kuala Lumpur last October. Since then, they have consistently fallen in either the first or second round of tournaments. Also bidding for a place in the quarter-finals are Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King, who will take on India's Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy-Sai Pratheek. Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong will face Indonesia's Putra Erwiansyah-Daniel Marvino, while Chia Weijie-Lwi Sheng Hao, fresh from their upset over seventh seeds Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami, will meet Hong Kong's Hung Kuie Chun-Lui Chun Wai. Women's singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei is also in a race to reach the quarter-finals. Despite slipping to No. 47 in the world rankings, the determined Jin Wei stayed on course with a commanding 21-14, 21-12 win over Denmark's Amalie Schulz yesterday. A tough challenge awaits, though, as she will face top seed and reigning Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China in the next round. Meanwhile, it was another early exit for compatriot K. Letshanaa, who went down fighting 13-21, 22-20, 21-19 to Hong Kong's Happy Lo. In the men's singles, national shuttler Justin Hoh will carry Malaysia's hopes when he faces seventh seed Ayush Shetty of India in the second round. Justin got off to a solid start after brushing aside Sathish Karunakaran 21-19, 21-12 in the opening round yesterday. Unfortunately, compatriot Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin failed to progress after falling 20-22, 7-21 to Canada's Brian Yang. ok
The Star
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Explosive start as Haikal-Hon Jian dump Thai top pair in home opener
Superb start: Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri celebrate after winning first round match at the Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil. IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Men doubles shuttlers Mohd Haikal Nazri-Choong Hon Jian pulled off an impressive victory over Thailand's top duo Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Kittinupong Kedren to reach the Malaysian Masters second round. Spurred on by the passionate home fans, world No. 41 Haikal-Hon Jian turned in a spirited performance to come out on top with a 21-15, 21-18 win over the world No. 14 Thais at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (May 20). It was a morale boosting result for the Malaysians, who have been struggling with form and fitness over the past few months which saw their rankings plunge from No. 18 to 41. Haikal-Hon Jian will next take on either Japan's former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi or China's Huang Di-Liu Yang for a place in the last eight.
