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The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Justin hunts Macau redemption as he faces old foe Alwi in final
Got to catch up: Justin Hoh has won two out of five previous meetings with Indonesia's Alwi Farhan. PETALING JAYA: Nothing is impossible for men's singles shuttler Justin Hoh as he looks to land the Macau Open title despite going up against a higher-ranked opponent. In today's final at the Macau East Asian Games Dome, Justin will face world No. 25 Alwi Farhan. It will be a much-anticipated rematch for Justin, who not only wants to deliver the first men's singles title for Malaysia this year but is also determined to avenge his defeat to the Indonesian at the same tournament last year, where both players clashed in the second round. The rivalry between the two goes back to their junior days. Out of their five previous meetings, Justin has won two, including their most recent encounter in the quarter-finals of the Guwahati Masters in India in 2023. Men's singles coach K. Yogendran believes there is no reason for Justin to be intimidated, as they will be fully prepared with the best strategies to take on Alwi. 'On paper, we know that Alwi is the higher-ranked player compared to Justin, but nothing is impossible. We will be ready with the necessary strategies and fight until the end. 'I hope Justin can play his game, stay calm and, most importantly, not feel pressured,' said Yogendran when contacted. In yesterday's semi-finals, Justin was made to work hard against India's Tharun Mannepalli before securing his place in the final with a gritty 19-21, 21-16, 21-16 win after an 81-minute battle. Alwi, meanwhile, pulled off an upset by ousting second seed Lakshya Sen 21-16, 21-9. Yogendran revealed that Justin had struggled with the playing conditions at the venue during the semi-finals, but was relieved that their tactical adjustments eventually paid off. 'The issue on court was related to the wind, and in the first game, he was playing with the wind, which made things difficult for him. 'In the second game, he was playing against it, and I gave him some advice that helped him play with more courage, launch attacks and counter-attacks. 'As for the third game, our strategy was to keep the score close with Manepalli, not letting the gap get too wide, so that when the sides were switched, we would have the advantage and it worked,' he added. If Justin goes on to win today's final, he will end Malaysia's 15-year title drought in the men's singles at the tournament, which was last won by Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei in 2010.
New Straits Times
29-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sheng Hao-Wei Jie stun Japanese pair at Macau Open
KUALA LUMPUR: Ten months since they made their partnership debut at the Macau Open, professional duo Lwi Sheng Hao-Chia Wei Jie came full circle on Tuesday with a breakthrough performance at the same tournament. The world No. 69, both former BA of Malaysia (BAM) dropouts, pulled off a stunning 21-19, 21-19 win over Japan's seventh seeds and world No. 32 Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami in the opening round of the Super 300 event. What made the win even sweeter was the fact that Nomura-Shimogami are Japan's third-highest ranked men's doubles pair — underlining the scale of the upset and signalling a strong statement of intent from Sheng Hao-Wei Jie, who have struggled for consistency since turning pro although they did claim a Super 100 title at Guwahati Masters in December last year. Their next challenge will be Hong Kong's Hung Kuei Chun-Lui Chun Wai as they bid to string together back-to-back main draw victories on the World Tour for only the second time this season. Also through to the second round were fourth seeds Wan Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King, who brushed aside China's Ren Xiang Yu-Sun Wen Jun 21-15, 21-16, and Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri, comfortable 21-15, 21-14 winners over Singapore's Wesley Koh-Junsuke Kubo. However, it was an early exit for Bryan Jeremy Goonting-Fazriq Razif and Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong. Bryan-Fazriq went down fighting 21-11, 22-20 to Indonesia's Muh Putra Erwiansyah-Daniel Edgar Marvino, while Hang Yee-Eng Cheong were outplayed by second seeds and former world No. 1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty of India 21-13, 21-15. Veteran Goh V Shem, teaming up with South Korea's Choi Sol Gyu, kept his campaign alive with a convincing 21-15, 21-16 victory over Taiwan's Su Ching Heng-Wu Guan Xun. In the women's doubles, Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing celebrated their entry into the world's top 20 earlier in the day with a dominant 21-8, 21-11 win over India's Apoorva Gahlawat-Sakshi Gahlawat. The pair had climbed four rungs to No. 18 in the latest rankings, courtesy of their quarter-final run at last week's China Open.
