Latest news with #MalaysianMasters
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Unshakable trust and belief in each other the key to Pearly-Thinaah's run into final
National women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah posing after beating Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi in the quarter-final match of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Friday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah have attributed their strong run in the Japan Open to their unshakable trust and belief in each other. Yesterday, Pearly-Thinaah pulled off a sensational 21-13, 21-11 upset win over home favourites and bogey pair Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium to storm into the final. The world No. 3 pair have a poor record against the world No. 2 duo, only winning once in their past 13 meetings but this time, they overturned the script by delivering arguably their best performance this year to send their rivals packing in just 36 minutes and silence the home crowd. Pearly-Thinaah played with confidence and aggression throughout and did not allow Matsuyama-Shida much room to dictate play. The stunning win propelled Pearly-Thinaah to their fourth final of the year after capturing the Thailand Open and finishing runners-up in the Indonesian Open and Masters. "We communicated a lot and this really helped us in our game play and we really trust, believe in each other and support each other. I think that's more important than everything," said Pearly, in a post match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). "Both of us were more patient today (yesterday) and just focused on our game. "We didn't want to rush to get points and this helped us a lot to win." The win has given the Malaysians a huge confidence boost as they seek to crown their fine run with the title today. Pearly-Thinaah though face a formidable challenge against China's world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning in the final. Shengshu-Tan Ning are also in top form and swept aside teammates and world No. 9 Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian 21-7, 21-16 to book their spot in the title match. Pearly-Thinaah will be seeking revenge against the Chinese duo after losing narrowly to them in the Indonesian Open final last month. Overall, Shengshu-Tan Ning hold the advantage over Pearly-Thinaah after beating them eight times in their past 11 meetings. Pearly-Thinaah's last win over the combo pair came in the Hong Kong Open final last September. Pearly-Thinaah will not be lacking in confidence though, after ending their long losing streak against Matsuyama-Shida. Their last and only win before this over the Japanese duo also came in a World Tour Super 750 tournament - the French Open in 2022. Then, Pearly-Thinaah took down Matsuyama-Shida in the last eight and went on to win the crown. Can they repeat that feat in Japan? The pair have a chance to create history by becoming the first Malaysians in the women's doubles to lift the Japan Open title. Thinaah hopes to raise her game once more with Pearly and deliver a memorable finish in the tourney. "We just want to rest well, prepare well and discuss with each other and also our coaches on how best to approach the final," said Thinaah. "We just hope to give our best tomorrow (today)."
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Ee Yi-Yew Sin finally break first-round curse, but at Aaron-Wooi Yik's expense
Malaysia men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in action against South Korea's Kim Young-hyuk-Wang Chan during the first round of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: The all-Malaysian clash between Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin in the first round of the Japan Open has brought a mix of emotions. There was disappointment as second seeds Aaron-Wooi Yik suffered a shock early exit from the tournament, especially with high hopes riding on them to go far. At the same time, there was relief for Ee Yi-Yew Sin, who finally broke their first-round curse. Since the India Open in January, the pair had failed to progress past the opening hurdle in any of their tournaments. This time, they showed renewed determination, especially Yew Sin who recently tied the knot with former Japanese singles shuttler Aya Ohori. The former world championship bronze medallists in 2021 took just 30 minutes to upstage Aaron-Wooi Yik with a convincing 21-15, 21-15 win. National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky admitted he was personally surprised by Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's early exit. 'It is definitely shocking when a seeded pair loses in the first round,' said Rexy briefly when contacted. Meanwhile, it was a nervy path to the second round for Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who had to battle hard against fellow Malaysians Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi. The sixth seeds narrowly took the opening game before pulling away in the second to secure a 30-28, 21-12 victory. They will face China's Huang Di-Liu Yang in the next round. There was still something to cheer for in the national camp, thanks to a commanding performance from women's doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah. Fresh off signing contract extensions with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), the pair looked sharp and composed as they eased past Bulgarian sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva 21-16, 21-14 in just 31 minutes. 'They played with good composure. At the start, they were still adjusting to the drift in the hall, but once they took the lead at the interval, they controlled the match well,' said Rexy, who was pleased with their performance. They will take on Taiwan's Hsieh Pei-shang and Hung En-tzu in the second round today.
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Jonassen can't hide his frustration over Jun Hao's tame loss to Lanier
National men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao in action against Ireland's Nhat Nguyen in the first round of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: Reality has bitten men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao hard after his sobering defeat to Frenchman Alex Lanier in the Japan Open first round. World No. 24 Jun Hao was hoping to pull off an upset over world No. 8 Lanier but found the latter too hot to handle and lost tamely 12-21, 14-21 in 40 minutes at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium yesterday. The 26-year-old's defeat marked the end of Malaysia's challenge in the men's singles in the tourney as he was the country's sole representative in the event. Singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen could not hide his frustration after seeing his charge capitulate against the defending champion without putting up much resistance. "Jun Hao lacks the consistency to challenge this kind of playing style and level," said Jonassen. "I'm also quite worried about how far away we are today from being able to push and make Lanier uncomfortable. "Jun Hao tried his best but never got comfortable due to the pace, zero mistakes and point-by-point hard fighting attitude of his opponent which led to him feeling pressured in most rallies." Jonassen admitted that Jun Hao's form was worrying with the World Championships coming up in Aug 25-31 in Paris and said that the player really needed to step up his game. "I hate losing but worse is being unable to challenge a good opponent. Before this tournament, I was looking for answers in terms of preparation for the worlds, and what level are we at? "Today I got some answers, we have a long way to go! Going forward, it's time to step up." Jun Hao has been struggling for form this year with his best performance coming in the Singapore Open last month where he made it to the quarter-finals. The 2017 Asian Junior champion has suffered early round defeats in all his other individual events so far this year. On where Jun Hao needed to urgently improve on before the world meet, Jonassen said: "There are two areas. First is pace of play which is the key. Being able to play faster and deal with opponents' fast-paced games. "Second is he needs to realise the importance of each point. ''Understanding and accepting how much each point means against players at the highest level. "If you don't make them uncomfortable and doubt themselves, they will do this to you." Before the Paris showpiece event, Jun Hao has one last chance to prove that he can raise his game when he competes next in the China Open which starts next Tuesday in Changzhou.
The Star
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Back injury forces Momota out of Lin Dan Cup
PETALING JAYA: Badminton fans' hopes of seeing former world No. 1 men's singles star Kento Momota in action again was dashed after he was forced to withdraw from the Lin Dan Cup. The Japanese ace was due to play in the tournament from July 25-27 in Xian, China but unfortunately had to pull out due to a back surgery, after being diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation, his management agency announced. Chinese great Lin Dan, who founded the tournament which offers a lucrative total prize purse of 850,000 yuan (approximately RM500,000), delivered the news via his social media page. "Momota had to withdraw from the Lin Dan Cup due to illness," said Lin Dan. "I hope he can fully recover and return to court as soon as possible. I hope he can still come to Xian to meet the fans." Momota's absence from the tourney is a blow as he was once one of most successful players in the world. The 30-year-old remarkably won 11 titles in 2019 and suffered just six defeats out of 73 matches that year. Momota also captured back-to-back world titles in 2018 (Nanjing) and 2019 (Basel). However, his career took a downturn after a car accident in 2020 following his Malaysian Masters victory, which severely affected his performance. Momota eventually made the difficult decision to retire in April last year. In his absence, the foreign players due to compete in the tournament include Thailand's 2019 World Championship bronze medallist Kantaphon Wangcharoen, South Korea's Cho Geon-yeop, Ireland's Nhat Nguyen and Japan's Riki Takei. Malaysia will also be represented by Tan Jia Jie and Cheam June Wei.
The Star
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Slowly but surely: Aaron-Khai Xing confident they can attain smashing success
Determined: Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai are staying focused on improving themselves and avoiding early exits in upcoming tournaments. PETALING JAYA: World junior badminton champions Aaron Tai-Khang Khai Xing are not letting their spirits waver despite a slow start to their senior campaign. For Aaron, every defeat he and Khai Xing face is seen as a learning experience and part of their journey to becoming better players. He remains unfazed by public perception, aware that several Malaysian shuttlers once shone at junior level but struggled to replicate that success as seniors. Instead of worrying about things beyond their control, Aaron-Khai Xing are staying focused on improving themselves and avoiding early exits in upcoming tournaments. So far this year, they have competed in seven tournaments but have yet to reach a quarter-final. Their best chance came at the Malaysian Masters in May, where they lost in a controversial second-round match against Denmark's William Kryger Boe-Christian Kjaer. 'I admit we struggled at the start, but now that we're in the senior squad, we're giving our all even if progress is slow. With guidance from our new coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, we're working on regaining our momentum. 'We're not stressed about results. What matters is that we keep giving our best in the tournaments ahead. 'The gap between junior and senior levels is huge. The intensity, strength and experience of the senior pairs are on another level and that's what I'm feeling now,' said Aaron. Currently, the pair are gearing up for the Macau Open, which begins on July 29. Their goal is simple which is to avoid another early exit and make a deeper run in the tournament. Aaron-Khai Xing and the rest of the Malaysian shuttlers will find out who their opponents are when the draw is released on July 22. 'Our spirits are high right now because we've been preparing well. 'It's also been a while since we last competed, so we're really looking forward to Macau. 'Hopefully, we can produce a better result this time,' he added.
