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The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Thai-phoon! Kunlavut lifts Singapore Open and is set to become world No. 1
Good job: Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn wins at the Singapore Open. - AFP PETALING JAYA: Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn was on top of the world after winning the men's singles title in the Singapore Open in super style. Like the typhoon, Kunlavut came charging in and played cleverly to blow away Lu Guangzu of China 21-6, 21-10 in just 37 minutes to lift the title and confirm his position as the new world No. 1 singles player - the first Thai to do so. The former world champion, currently ranked second behind Shi Yuqi of China in the world ranking, is set to take the top spot when the Badminton World Federation (BWF) publish the new list on Tuesday. Yuqi also became the world No. 1 player last year after winning the Singapore Open. Kunlavut truly deserves the title and status as the world No. 1 as yesterday's final was his fourth this year. He started the year by winning the Indonesian Masters and followed it up with Asian Championships and Thailand Open last week. Said the modest Thai after the win: "I'm truly happy as this had been a great year for me but there's always room for improvement." It was also a good day for Thailand as Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran defeated Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong 21-16, 21-9 to win the mixed doubles title. RESULTS Men's singles: Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Lu Guangzu (Chn) 21-6, 21-10. Women's singles: Chen Yufei (Chn) bt Wang Zhiyi (Chn) 21-11, 21-11. Women's doubles: Kim Hye-jeong-Kong Hee-yong (Kor) bt Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi (Jpn) 21-16, 21-14. Mixed doubles: Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran (Tha) bt Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet (Hkg) 21-16, 21-9.
The Star
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Wei Chong-Kai Wun hope home success will break their tendency of being inconsistent
True heroes: Champions Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (in blue) posing with runners-up Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik after the men's doubles final. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles shuttlers Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun hope their success in the Malaysian Masters will mark the start of a more consistent run for them on the big stage. Inconsistency has been Wei Chong-Kai Wun's biggest challenge, with the pair known for winning one or two titles a year but losing in the early rounds in the rest of their tournaments. The duo are keen to put an end to this issue and become a more solid pair. Yesterday, Wei Chong-Kai Wun captured their second title of the year in the Malaysian Masters after battling hard to upstage senior teammates Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 in 50 minutes at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil. It was a statement victory for the world No. 8 as they crowned their fine run which also included stunning wins over world No. 2 home pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (last eight) and Japan's 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (semi-finals). Wei Chong-Kai Wun also ended the long wait for a home men's doubles champion in the tourney after Goh V Shem-Lim Kim Wah were the last winners in 2013. The pair, who added to their Indonesian Masters triumph in January, were pleased with the win but believe the real test will be for them to maintain their form. Wei Chong-Kai Wun's performances dipped after their title win in Indonesia before they regained their form in the home tourney. 'After Indonesia, we lost in the early rounds in all our tournaments. We discussed how to become more consistent as for the past few years, we will win a tournament, then tend to lose in early rounds,' said Wei Chong. 'So, we have been finding ways to try to make our performances more solid. 'Our test will be in the next few tournaments because we have not managed to maintain our form before this. 'Today (yesterday), we are champions but tomorrow (today) we need to prepare again for our next tournaments,' added Wei Chong. Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who turned around their form superbly after suffering a second round defeat in the Thailand Open last week, believe that they are slowly getting better under coach Herry Iman Pierngadi. Indonesian Herry replaced Tan Bin Shen as the men's doubles head coach in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in February. 'We are slowly adapting to Herry's coaching methods. After losing early last week, he has been trying to improve our mental strength,' said Kai Wun. 'We did well in this tournament. We were quite consistent here, so we need to keep up this mentality. 'It's really special to win at home as many supporters came to cheer for both pairs in the final. The atmosphere was great and it feels different compared to winning overseas.' Meanwhile, world No. 3 Aaron-Wooi Yik were also reasonably satisfied with their efforts after reaching three finals in just two months. The pair captured the Asian Championships last month and the Thailand Open last week and were understandably not at their best physically in the final. 'Today (yesterday), Wei Chong-Kai Wun played better than us. We made too many unforced errors and this contributed to our defeat,' said Aaron. 'Our performance here was still acceptable but we still have lots to improve.' Wooi Yik said: 'We have to admit that our condition was not 100 percent but this is a challenge every player faces. 'This is the challenge for us to get better but this is not the reason we lost. I think we can do better.' Both Wei Chong-Kai Wun and Aaron-Wooi Yik will next turn their attention to the Singapore Open which starts tomorrow. FINAL RESULTS Men's singles: Li Shifeng (Chn) bt K. Srikanth (Ind) 21-11, 21-9. Men's doubles: Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun bt Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 21-12, 15-21, 21-16. Women's singles: Wang Zhiyi (Chn) bt Han Yue (Chn) 13-21, 21-13, 21-18. Women's doubles: Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning (Chn) bt Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) 21-17, 21-18. Mixed doubles: Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) 21-17, 14-21, 21-16.
The Star
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Wei Chong-Kai Wun smash into Malaysian Masters final
KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles shuttlers Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun pulled off a sensational win over Japan's 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi to storm into the Malaysian Masters final. Wei Chong-Kai Wun played brilliantly to come away with a 21-12, 21-14 victory over Hoki-Kobayashi at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Saturday (May 24) much to the delight of the passionate home fans. It was the world No. 8 pair's first win over the Japanese duo after losing both their previous meetings in the 2022 All-England and 2023 Asian Championships. Wei Chong-Kai Wun will next take on either teammates Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik or Denmark's Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen for the title. Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who finished runners-up in the home tourney in 2023, will be attempting to go one better this time and capture their second title this year after triumphing in the Indonesian Masters in January.
The Star
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Ong-Teo bank on fighting spirits against fearsome Liang-Wang Chang
Bitter pill to swallow: Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi came close to lifting the Malaysian Masters title in 2019. PETALING JAYA: National men's doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi are hoping that playing on home ground will help turn their fortunes around at the Malaysian Masters, which begins tomorrow at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil. The 2021 World Championships bronze medallists are desperate to end a dismal run of first-round exits, having crashed out early in four straight tournaments staring at the Indian Open, Indonesian Masters, All-England, and Swiss Open. Their only bright spot this year was a quarter-final appearance at the Malaysian Open in January. They will need all the support they can get from the home crowd as they face a stern test right from the start. Yew Sin-Ee Yi have been handed a tough opening-round draw against China's world No. 3 pair Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang, who had beaten them at the Indian Open earlier this year. 'Honestly, the draw hasn't been kind to us, so we can only do our best and face it head-on,' said Yew Sin. Ee Yi echoed the sentiment, adding that the match is a do-or-die mission for them as they look to prove that they still have the fire to compete at the highest level. 'This is a do-or-die mission for us. We know Weikeng and Wang Chang are among the top pairs in the world, but we will give it our all and try to put up a good fight. 'We still have the fighting spirit despite going through various challenges, including injuries. We are determined to make a strong comeback,' said Ee Yi. He also shared that he has recovered from a foot injury that had troubled him previously and has been preparing well for this tournament. The Malaysian Masters holds special memories for the duo, who made it all the way to the final in 2019. They came close to lifting the title that year but fell short against Indonesia's Marcus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya.
The Star
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Pearly-Thinaah silence critics by becoming first M'sian pair to win Thailand Open title
True grit: M. Thinaah hits a return as Pearly Tan looks on against South Korea's Jeong Na-eun-Lee Yeon-woo during the women's doubles final at the Thailand Open. — AFP PETALING JAYA: The best way to silence the critics is by winning a title – and that was exactly what women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah did when they captured the Thailand Open crown yesterday. Pearly-Thinaah had been surrounded by speculation about their future, with talk of them leaving the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to pursue a professional career. There was also criticism from some quarters over the new salary package they had requested from BAM, which was said to be disproportionate to their achievements this year. Their closest result was finishing runners-up at the Indonesian Masters in January. But the world No. 4 pair proved they have what it takes by overcoming Paris Olympic silver medallist Jeong Na-eun, who is now paired with Lee Yeon-woo, 21-16, 21-17. This victory marked another milestone in their career as they became the first Malaysian women's doubles pair to win the Thailand Open since the tournament began in 1984. 'I think it means a lot, to be honest, because we have not had a very good start, especially after losing in the first round at our home event, the Malaysian Open. But we never lost faith in each other. 'We kept supporting and pushing each other, both in training and during tournaments. 'Step by step, we managed to overcome a few things, although there are still many areas we need to improve. 'But today, I really want to thank my partner for staying strong until the end. This win definitely gives us something to build on moving forward,' said Thinaah in a post match interview with BWF. Last year, when Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah clinched the Hong Kong Open title, they also made history as the first Malaysian women's pair to win the tournament since its inception in 1982. And when they triumphed at the French Open in 2022, they also became the first Malaysian women's doubles pair to win that title. Now, all eyes will be on them again this week as Pearly-Thinaah look to carry the same momentum into their home tournament when the Malaysian Masters begins on Tuesday. They will open their campaign against Hong Kong's Fan Ka Yan-Yau Mau Ying, with the tie marking the first meeting between the two pairs. 'I don't think we have much time to celebrate because we are leaving tonight. So we will probably just have a good rest and a nice meal with the coaches and support staff who have been with us throughout the week, then prepare ourselves and start again from zero,' she added. FINAL RESULTS Men's singles: Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Anders Antonsen (Den) 21-16, 17-21, 21-9. Men's doubles: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik bt William Kryger Boe-Christian faust Kjaer (Den) 20-22, 21-17, 21-12. Women's singles: Chen Yufei Chn) bt Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) 21-16, 21-12. Women's doubles: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah bt Jeong Na-eun-Lee Yeon-woo (Kor) 21-16, 21-17. Mixed doubles: Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying (Chn) 24-22, 21-16.
