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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
An Se-young claims her fifth title of 2025 with Indonesia Open win; Anders Antonsen also victorious
An Se-young claims her fifth title of 2025 with Indonesia Open win; Anders Antonsen also victorious – Trailing 9-17 in the second game, world No. 1 An Se-young looked down and out in the Indonesia Open women's singles final on June 8. But the South Korean seized on a sudden lapse by China's world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi, reeling in six points in a row en route to winning the second game 21-19 which levelled the match at 1-1 before she completed a comeback to seal her fifth title of 2025. Overcoming an error-strewn start, An won 13-21, 21-19, 21-15 to bag the winner's prize money of US$101,500 (S$130,900) at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta. An, 23, said: 'I was very frustrated because my performance wasn't even half of what it usually is. But I had to go on with it and I think it worked. 'Coach told me to keep it simple, with repetitive basic strokes... I told myself to run fast and don't make mistakes. So, I think I did that faithfully.' This is also third Super 1000 triumph of the year for the Paris Olympics champion. Super 1000 tournaments form the second tier of competitions on the Badminton World Federation World Tour, just below the World Tour Finals. There are only four Super 1000 events on the calendar, with the July 22-27 China Open being the last one. An had won the other Super 1000 tournaments earlier in the year – the Malaysia Open in January and the All England Open in March, where she had also come from behind to beat Wang in the final. Wang said that defeat in Birmingham was not weighing on her mind. The 25-year said: 'I was leading in the first game, but at the end of the second game, my strategy was not working and I think that my opponent changed her strategy so she could win her second and third game.' In the men's singles final, world no. 3 Anders Antonsen of Denmark defeated Chinese Taipei's seventh-ranked Chou Tien-chen 22-20, 21-14 for his first title in three finals this season. Antonsen, who had lost to Chou in the final of the 2019 edition, said: 'He played extremely well in the first game and I was struggling to find a way to solve the puzzle. 'But in the very end... it comes down to the smallest margins, so I got lucky. In a final like this, it's about staying kind of calm, avoiding too many stupid mistakes.' Anders Antonsen (above) defeated Chou Tien-chen 22-20, 21-14 for his first title in three finals this season. PHOTO: AFP Chou and Antonsen had overcome Thai world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Chinese world No. 2 Shi Yuqi respectively in the semi-finals, and initially, it seemed like Chou had carried that momentum into the final as he led 20-17 in the first game. But the 35-year-old allowed his 28-year-old rival to claim five points in a row to win the first game instead. On the late collapse, Chou said: 'He changed his strategy for his service and I tried to follow up, but it didn't work. The first set was pretty down for me, I tried to wake up in the second set, but he's very good.' Chou Tien-chen and Anders Antonsen on the podium after their men's singles final match at the Indonesia Open. PHOTO: AFP While Antonsen claimed his first Indonesian Open crown, there was also a first in the mixed doubles as world No. 10 Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue celebrated France's first Super 1000 title after a 21-16, 21-18 win over sixth-ranked Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand. 'I couldn't believe it,' said Gicquel, who wrapped Delrue in a bear hug after their historic feat. 'The start was super hard and we got through, and we never thought we'd get this far after the first round. It's crazy, it was one of goals to win a big tournament this year. It's a lot of hard work behind this, so we're grateful.' Thom Gicquel (left) and Delphine Delrue celebrated France's first Super 1000 title after a 21-16, 21-18 win over Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand. PHOTO: AFP In the women's doubles final, China's top-ranked Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning defeated Malaysia's world No. 4 Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 23-25, 21-12, 21-19. With other Indonesians such as men's singles world No. 5 Jonatan Christie having exited earlier, it was left to 16th-ranked men's doubles pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani to give the home crowd something to cheer about. While they fought hard against South Korea's Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho, it was not enough as the world No. 6 pair won 18-21, 21-19, 21-12. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
France 24
2 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Denmark's Antonsen wins first Indonesia Open crown, An downs China's Wang
The 28-year-old Dane sunk world number seven Chou at the Indonesian capital's Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event. Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second. In a more closely fought women's singles final, South Korean ace and world number one An fought back from one game down to beat China's Wang Zhi Yi in three games. She beat her Chinese rival 13-21, 21-19, 21-15 in 81 minutes. An, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist, said she was "happy" to win another Indonesia Open title after securing her first in 2021. "It was a weird game, a difficult game. But fortunately, I can find my own confidence and never gave up," An told reporters via an interpreter. French mixed doubles pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue triumphed against Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran. The pair, ranked 10th in the world, beat the sixth-ranked Thai pair 21-16, 21-18 in a 48-minute match, securing France's first Super 1000 title.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Chou to meet Antonsen in Indonesia Open final as top two seeds exit
Paris 2024 Olympics - Badminton - Men's Singles Quarterfinals - Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Paris, France - August 02, 2024. Tien Chen Chou of Taiwan in action during the match against Lakshya Sen of India. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo Chou to meet Antonsen in Indonesia Open final as top two seeds exit Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan beat world number one Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-16 23-21 in the Indonesia Open in Jakarta on Saturday to set up a final against Anders Antonsen, who defeated defending champion Shi Yuqi. Second seed Vitidsarn shot out of the blocks in both games and racked up 5-1 leads but the 35-year-old Chou showed great resilience, fighting back to secure a spot in his first final since last month's Taipei Open. China's Shi began his semi-final strongly, taking the first game 21-9, while third-seeded Antonsen was much more competitive in the second game and pounced on a string of errors from the top seed to wrest control of the match. Shi had the lead early in the tight third game but Antonsen rose to the challenge to win 9-21 21-18 21-19 -- his first victory over the two-times Asian Games gold medallist since January 2024. In the women's draw, top seed An Se-young of South Korea faced third-seeded Akane Yamaguchi, the second time the pair had met in the semi-finals of a Super 1000 tournament this year. Much like their meeting at the All England Open in March, reigning Olympic champion An held off her Japanese opponent to win 21-18 21-17 and secure a spot in the Indonesia Open final for a third time in her career. An will come up against Wang Zhiyi in Sunday's final after the Chinese world number two beat compatriot Han Yue 21-12 21-13 in 39 minutes. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Economic Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Bandung and the fruits of Nehru's mango diplomacy
In 1955, Prime Minister Nehru used mangoes—specifically Alphonsos—as a soft power tool during pivotal Cold War diplomacy. These sweet gestures, such as sharing mangoes with Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai, helped ease tensions and build trust among leaders at the historic Bandung Conference in Indonesia. The summit marked the rise of the Non-Aligned Movement, offering an alternative to U.S.-Soviet polarization. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads On April 26, 1955, The Times of India (ToI) reported that an Air India plane, Maratha Princess, was carrying 13 cases of mangoes to Indonesia: 'Bombay's summer delight, the luscious alfonso, will be served to delegates who attended the historic Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung.'This would ultimately lead to the Non-Aligned Movement that countered the US-Soviet polarities of the Cold War. Then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the key movers in this process and mangoes were one of his secret weapons. In a piece titled ' Mango Diplomacy ' published in ToI in 1955, D R Mankekar noted how Nehru took mangoes to Moscow and 'the Soviet leaders saw new light and tasted new sweetness in the world'.That same year, Chinese premier Chou En-Lai had come to New Delhi. It was one of the first visits made by a Chinese leader to a major noncommunist country and a big step towards ending China's years of isolationism. At dinner, Nehru himself sliced the mangoes and showed how to spoon up the flesh: 'As premier Chou dug his teeth into the pulpy slice, his beetling brows relaxed, his lips rippled into a smile and there was a new benign light in his eyes,' wrote India visit led to his attendance at Bandung, at significant risk to himself. Air India plane Kashmir Princess was bombed on April 11 en route to Bandung, with the loss of 16 passengers and crew. Chou was meant to be on it, but he had not got on board, possibly because of intelligence about the activities of anti-communist agents. It is also a measure of China's isolation that Chou was flying Air India, as he had done earlier when visiting India. Many countries didn't allow the passage of Chinese Australian scholar Andrea Benvenuti's book Nehru's Bandung , he notes that the Bandung conference was first proposed by Ali Sastroamidjojo, the prime minister of Indonesia, and Nehru was initially dubious about the geopolitical complexities involved. He was also sceptical about the Indonesians pulling off the practicalities of a big event, writing to the Indian ambassador in Jakarta about 'an adequate provision of bathrooms and lavatories, etc. People can do without drawing rooms, but they cannot do without bathrooms and lavatories'.The success of meetings with Chinese and Russian leaders seems to have enthused Nehru about trying to find alternatives to the stark divisions of the Cold War. He became enthusiastic about Bandung and deputed many Indian officials to help. Benvenuti quotes British and Australian diplomats' appreciative comments about the difference this made and Nehru was identified as one of the sponsors of the conference, along with Indonesian president Sukarno and Egyptian president conference has been called the birth date of the Third World as a global political force — which explains the hostility of the First World to its memory. Western commentators are derisive about the mostly dismal later fortunes of Bandung's leaders and the abiding lack of development in its participating countries. They accuse NAM of being co-opted by the USSR into becoming an antiWestern forum and now entirely a this overlooks the point that Nehru and other leaders were trying to make, which was that their national aspirations deserved more respect than being forced into artificial divides of communism and anti-communism. The real winner at Bandung was China, who used it as a stepping stone to international acceptance and the increasing power of its authoritarian nationalist approach. It is not quite the outcome Nehru would have wanted, but it set us towards the multipolar world in which we live 70th anniversary last month was mostly unremembered. Even in Indonesia today, the name is more likely to mean a drink that goes by the same name, made of condensed milk combined with rose syrup and lots of ice. India could consider promoting a mango version, to recall the 1955 conference and how our alphonsos helped with Nehru's diplomacy.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Francis Chou's Strategic Moves: Sirius XM Holdings Inc. Takes Center Stage with 8. ...
Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with SAFE. Francis Chou (Trades, Portfolio) recently submitted the 13F filing for the first quarter of 2025, providing insights into his investment moves during this period. Francis Chou (Trades, Portfolio), the fund manager of Chou America Mutual Funds, has been managing the Chou Funds in Canada since 1986. Chou's experience is an amazing success story of value investing. He came to Canada in 1976 at age 20 with $200 in his pocket. Without a college degree, he could only work on blue-collar jobs. Finally, he landed a job at Bell Canada as a telephone repairman. During that time, he was introduced to the books of Benjamin Graham. In 1981, together with six of his fellow telephone repairmen, Chou started an investment club with $51,000. He left Bell Canada in 1984 and became a retail analyst at GW Asset Management, where he met Prem Watsa (Trades, Portfolio), the future Fairfax CEO. He turned the investment club into the Chou Associates Fund in 1986, and the rest is history. When asked about what the most important things are for him in investing, Chou said: "Buy bargains. Get the returns slowly. Think independently. Don't be afraid of what other people are saying." The investment process followed in selecting equity investments for the Funds is a value-oriented approach that involves a detailed analysis of the strengths of individual companies, with much less emphasis on short-term market factors. Far greater importance is placed upon an assessment of a company's balance sheet, cash flow characteristics, profitability, industry position, special strengths, future growth potential, and management ability. Francis Chou (Trades, Portfolio) added a total of 2 stocks, among them: The most significant addition was Occidental Petroleum Corp (NYSE:OXY), with 68,000 shares, accounting for 1.85% of the portfolio and a total value of $3.36 million. The second largest addition to the portfolio was General Motors Co (NYSE:GM), consisting of 52,000 shares, representing approximately 1.34% of the portfolio, with a total value of $2.45 million. Francis Chou (Trades, Portfolio) also increased stakes in a total of 3 stocks, among them: The most notable increase was Sirius XM Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:SIRI), with an additional 689,872 shares, bringing the total to 702,462 shares. This adjustment represents a significant 5,479.52% increase in share count, an 8.55% impact on the current portfolio, with a total value of $15,837,010. The second largest increase was Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA), with an additional 940,000 shares, bringing the total to 1,396,388. This adjustment represents a significant 205.97% increase in share count, with a total value of $15,653,510. Francis Chou (Trades, Portfolio) completely exited 1 of the holdings in the first quarter of 2025, as detailed below: Occidental Petroleum Corp (NYSE: Francis Chou (Trades, Portfolio) sold all 68,000 shares, resulting in a -1.28% impact on the portfolio. At the first quarter of 2025, Francis Chou (Trades, Portfolio)'s portfolio included 32 stocks, with top holdings including 37.76% in Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.A), 8.71% in Sirius XM Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:SIRI), 8.61% in Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA), 7.08% in Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), and 6.28% in Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF). The holdings are mainly concentrated in 7 of all the 11 industries: Financial Services, Communication Services, Consumer Cyclical, Technology, Industrials, Energy, and Basic Materials. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
