Latest news with #badminton
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
New world no. 1 Kunlavut seals Singapore crown in style
Singapore, June 2 — Kunlavut Vitidsarn celebrated becoming the first man from Thailand to top the badminton world rankings by winning the Singapore Open in style on Sunday. The 24-year-old demolished China's unseeded Lu Guangzu 21-6, 21-10 in just 37 minutes with his range of powerful smashes and deceptive drop shots. Paris Olympics silver medallist Kunlavut will replace another Chinese player, Shi Yuqi, as world number one in a landmark for Thai badminton. It was his fourth title this season. 'There will be pressure to be the best player in the world, but it's going to be a good pressure as that will give me the added motivation of doing my best to win all the tournaments I take part in,' said Kunlavut, who lost the Paris final to Viktor Axelsen. Denmark's two-time Olympic champion Axelsen, the former number one, is currently working his way back to fitness following surgery for a back problem. In an all-Chinese women's final at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the fifth seed Chen Yufei outplayed second-seeded Wang Zhiyi 21-11, 21-11. Chen was runner-up to world number one An Se-young last year. Chen ended the South Korean's unbeaten run in 2025 by defeating her in the quarter-finals this year. 'I'm really very happy with this win because the draw was not exactly in my favour and every match felt like a battle,' said Chen. 'To make it all the way to the final was honestly something unexpected. 'I felt like I was not under too much pressure this time, so I played more freely and showed what I'm capable of.' — AFP
Malay Mail
13 hours ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik blaze into Singapore Open final, ready to avenge earlier loss to South Korean rivals
KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — Red-hot Malaysian men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have blazed their way into the Singapore Open 2025 final, where they will face Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae of South Korea, today. The world No. 3 pair have been in great form this season, having captured the Thailand Open title on May 18 and finishing as runners-up at the Malaysia Masters last week. However, Aaron-Wooi Yik will need to be cautious, as they lost to the Korean pair in their previous encounter at the India Open 2025 in January. Won Ho-Seung Jae cruised to the final after defeating Danish pair, Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, 21-17 and 21-16. Aaron-Wooi Yik, the third seeds, showcased their class and composure by ousting India's duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, 19-21, 21-10, 21-18 in 64 minutes. It was a dominant display from the Malaysians to mark their 10th victory after 13 head-to-head encounters against the Indian pair and Wooi Yik described the semi-final clash against the Indian duo as a high-quality match. 'I think every point was very important for us. Even when we were leading by one or two points, we couldn't relax, we had to stay focused because they had many strategies and every shot was critical,' he said in a BWF audio recording shared with the media. When asked about the title showdown today, Aaron said: 'The focus is on giving our all, one step at a time: The most important thing now is to rest well and recover properly for the match. We know it's going to be a tough one.' — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
18 hours ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Aaron-Wooi Yik stage comeback to storm into S'pore Open final
World No 3 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik defeated their opponents from India 19-21, 21-10, 21-18 in 63 minutes. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Reigning Asian men's doubles champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik came from a game down to defeat India's Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and enter the Singapore Open final. The world No 3 Malaysian pair won 19-21, 21-10, 21-18 in 63 minutes to overcome the gritty Indian duo, who were previously ranked No 1 but dropped to No 27 after skipping multiple tournaments due to injuries. Tonight's win keeps alive Aaron-Wooi Yik's hopes of clinching a third title this year after achieving their ninth victory over the Indian pair in 12 encounters so far. In the final tomorrow, the two-time Olympic bronze medallists will meet the world No 10 South Korean pair of Seo Seung Jae-Kim Won Ho who saw off Denmark's Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the other semi-final match. Aaron-Wooi Yik have met the South Korean pair only once, at the India Open in January where the Malaysians lost in the semi-final. Tomorrow's match will be the Malaysian pair's third consecutive final in the World Tour series. Aaron-Wooi Yik will be hoping to create a personal record of winning three tournaments in a year, after capturing the Badminton Asia Championship title in April and Thailand Open crown two weeks ago. At the Malaysian Masters last week, the duo lost in the final to compatriots Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Pearly-Thinaah also crash out of Singapore Open
Pearly Tan-M Thinaah have now lost three times to China's Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian out of their four encounters so far. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M Thinaah have failed to make it to the semi-finals of the Singapore Open after losing to China's Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian. The Malaysian world No 4 pair lost 21-14, 22-24, 14-21 to their 11th ranked rivals in a match that lasted 72 minutes. After winning the first game, Pearly-Thinaah were on the brink of winning the tie when they had match points twice in the second game. However, Yi Fan-Shu Xian made a comeback and forced a rubber game, which saw a point-for-point exchange before the Chinese pair won the match. Pearly-Thinaah have met the Chinese shuttlers four times so far in their career and lost on three occasions. In the all-Malaysian men's doubles quarter-final, Asian champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik avenged their defeat to Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun at the Malaysia Masters final last week by winning in straight games in Singapore. The world No 3 duo took just 33 minutes to tame their 7th ranked compatriots 22-20, 21-17 to set up a semi-final clash with India's Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. Earlier, Malaysian fans were left disappointed when men's doubles top seeds Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani were sent packing by Shetty-Rankireddy in straight games. Mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Jemie Lai and men's singles player Leong Jun Hao were also bundled out in the quarter-finals.
CNA
2 days ago
- General
- CNA
Badminton: Loh Kean Yew loses to France's Christo Popov in Singapore Open quarter-finals
SINGAPORE: Loh Kean Yew's run at the Singapore Open ended on Friday (May 30) as he lost in an upset to France's Christo Popov in the men's singles quarter-finals. The world number 23 Popov took the match 21-10, 21-14 to advance to the last four, where he will face China's Lu Guangzu. The victory means that Popov has now won three of the six meetings against Loh. He had also beaten Loh at the 2023 edition of the tournament in the round of 16. Up against his third consecutive French opponent, world number 10 Loh struggled to find any rhythm in the first game and went behind 8-11 at the interval. Loh had beaten Popov's older brother and doubles partner Toma the day before, but he simply had no answer to the younger Popov, who never relinquished his lead. While Loh took an early lead in the second game, his opponent took control just before the interval and saw the game out to silence the home crowd. Loh was the only Singaporean representative left in the competition after compatriot Yeo Jia Min was eliiminated by world number 1 An Se-young in the round of 16 on Thursday.
