Aaron-Wooi Yik win all-Malaysian clash to reach Singapore Open semis
The Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallists needed 33 minutes to dispose of world number seven Wei Chong-Kai Wun.
Aaron admitted that the first game was 'quite challenging', saying they faced several crucial points in their effort to defeat their compatriots.
'I think after the first game, we were more calm and relaxed. As you can see, it was much closer in the first game... we had three game points. Luckily, we won the first game,' he said.
In tomorrow's semi-final, Aaron-Wooi Yik will take on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty after the India pair defeated Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei Nor Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani 21-17, 21-15.
Earlier, top seeds Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie went going down fighting 19-21, 22-20, 17-21 to Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran in a tightly contested 64-minute mixed doubles match.
Meanwhile, national men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao failed to advance to the semi-finals after being outplayed 13-21, 11-21 by second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.
There was no joy for Malaysia in women's doubles either when Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah capitulated 21-14, 22-24, 14-21 to China's Zhang Shu Xian-Jia Yi Fan.
It was Pearly-Thinaah's second straight loss to Shu Xian-Yi Fan, who also prevailed in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters last week.
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New Straits Times
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- New Straits Times
Jun Hao mustn't let the shuttle kill him slowly
KUALA LUMPUR: The shuttle can "slowly kill" players at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Hence, Leong Jun Hao must learn to deal with the notoriously "slow" venue for the Japan Open beginning on Tuesday, said national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen. World No. 24 Jun Hao will face France's world No. 8 Alex Lanier in the first round. Ominously, Lanier thrived at the Metropolitan last year to achieve his ground-breaking career win at the Japan Open. "We do know quite a lot about the venue in Japan, and Alex performed well there," said Jonassen. "It's a challenge for Jun Hao to find a way to cope with the slow shuttles (during rallies) there besides overcoming the physicality and playing style of Alex. "Alex doesn't give away opportunities, plays at a high speed and is powerful, and it will be a challenge to get the right tactics. "Jun Hao played well at the Singapore and Indonesia Opens, but those venues are slightly different than what we can expect in Japan, hence a different approach. "Jun Hao needs to understand his own game and shot-selection. If we are too aggressive all the time, we tend to leave the court open. "It's important for Jun Hao to know when to take the initiative and when to allow the opponent to open up (the game)." Jun Hao should look to his compatriots. Men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik proved that they could adapt to the Metropolitan Gymnasium as they won the world title there in 2022. World No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani also tamed the "slow venue" there to win the Japan Open last year. Last month, Jun Hao reached the Singapore Open quarter-finals and Indonesia Open second round where the Singapore Indoor Stadium and Istora Senayan in Jakarta are known for their heavy draught.
Daily Express
9 hours ago
- Daily Express
Lyles scorches to victory
Published on: Sunday, July 13, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jul 13, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Lyles (pic) delivered a near-faultless run to clock 19.88 seconds to edge Olympic champ Letsile Tebogo into second with 19.97sec. MONACO: Noah Lyles fired a warning shot at contenders over the 200m at the world championships by scorching to victory in the Diamond League meet in Monaco on Friday as Julien Alfred notched up another win in the 100m. Lyles delivered a near-faultless run to clock 19.88 seconds to edge Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo into second with 19.97sec. And Alfred timed a very comfortable looking 10.79sec to win the women's event-ending blue riband race ahead of American Jacious Sears (11.02). But Lyles was the star of the show at a packed Stade Louis II in perfect balmy conditions. Tebogo had even said that when the American's face appears on meet posters, people want to come and see him perform. And so it proved, Lyles coasting to a morale-boosting victory after successfully coming back from a tendon injury. 'I pray for times like this to be out here and do what I love. I come out here and I give my best,' said Lyles. The 10th competition on the 15-meet Diamond League circuit was loaded with a raft of top track and field stars, none less so in the electric men's 800m. There was a late change in the wavelight technology that informs racers of record pacing in the two-lap race, with an unexpected tilt at Kenyan David Rudisha's world record from when he won gold at the 2012 London Olympics. His compatriot and current Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi looked liked he might break the now mythical mark of 1:40.91, but he just faded at the line to win in a meet record and world lead of 1:41.44. American Josh Hoey, the world indoor champion, was second in 1:42.01, with Algerian Djamel Sedjati rounding out the podium (1:42.20). 'I came to run a season's best and a meeting record,' Wanyonyi said. 'I came prepared. I gave my best today so I am happy with the result.' There was another world-leading meet record in the women's 400m hurdles as world champion Femke Bol shot out a warning to the imperious Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone with a maiden victory in Monaco in 51.95sec. The win took Bol's incredible streak of consecutive victories in the Diamond League since 2021 to 26, including four final wins. The Dutchwoman easily saw off competition from Dalilah Muhammad and fellow American Anna Cockrell, Olympic silver medallist in Paris, who finished second and third. 'Running 51 is always very special, I don't do that every day,' Bol said. 'I am feeling good so far this season, I had a great start to it. I also did two 400m flats but I could see my shape getting better.' Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis again dominated the pole vault, the US-born Swede breaking the meet record with a successful vault of 6.05m on just his third effort of the competition, with only Greece's Emmanouil Karalis left to push him. Once the two-time Olympic champion had cleared that height, he skipped 6.10m, forcing Karalis into a third failure, and second place. Pundits might have reckoned that there would be no world record attempt, Duplantis happy to call it a day ahead of a month off competition with an eye on peaking at Tokyo in September. But, ever the competitor, the bar was raised to 6.29m, 1cm higher than the record mark he set in Eugene last week. But it was not to be and three failures at the new height brought the Swede's evening to an end. Dominican Marileidy Paulino edged American Aaliyah Butler by three-hundredths for victory in the 400m flat in 49.06sec. The men and women's short hurdles were won by American Trey Cunningham (13.09sec) and Jamaica's Megan Tapper (12.34) respectively. Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha won the men's 5,000m in 12:49.46 and Morocco's two-time Olympics champion Soufiane El Bakkali claimed victory in the 3,000m steeplechase in 8:03.18. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
'My mental health has always been my biggest demon' [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: Do top Malaysian athletes suffer mental health issues. Yes, they do. Away from the spotlight, their inner demons lurk, taking a psychological toll on them. Swimmer Phee Jinq En, who competed in two Olympics, shed light on the issue in an exclusive interview with Timesport. She was on course for her third Olympics (Paris, last year) after competing in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2020 in Tokyo — until a rule change ended her dream. As Malaysia's No. 1 female swimmer, Jinq En was widely expected to qualify via a universality slot. However, the International Olympic Committee revised its criteria, ruling that athletes who had competed at two previous Olympics were no longer eligible for a wild card. "I felt like the rule was directly targeted at me. I'm sure a lot of athletes were affected," said Jinq En. "It felt unfair when you've worked for three years to stay on top, only to have it taken away." The 28-year-old admitted that the blow left her reeling. "To maintain your No. 1 spot for three years, and then watch someone else go. I think people can understand my anger and disappointment. But to be honest, it's no one's fault." Unable to face the Olympic disappointment, she shut herself out during the Paris Games. "I went to Thailand. I just needed to get away. I didn't watch TV for two weeks. I didn't want to see what was going on," she said. But the Paris heartbreak was only one chapter in Jinq En's long battle with depression — one that has played out quietly behind the medals and podium finishes. A four-time SEA Games gold medallist and holder of three national records, the former student of Purdue University, United States, has been open about her struggles with mental health. It was during her time in the US that Jinq En first came to terms with her condition — after friends and coaches urged her to seek professional help. In an earlier Timesport report, former National Sports Institute sports psychologist Muhammad Deen said mental health challenges were becoming more serious among athletes in Malaysia and beyond due to the constant demands on their bodies and minds. "My mental health has always been my biggest demon," said Jinq En. "One of my friends said, 'You need to see a therapist. We can only help so much'. At that time, I was in denial. But my coach forced me to see a therapist." Therapy helped her gain clarity and focus to compete at the highest level. National Sports Institute chief executive officer Dr. P. Vellapandian told Timesport earlier that national athletes should not hesitate to seek help for mental health issues and there is no stigma in seeking professional support. Dr. Vellapandian said mental health issues — including performance-related pressure, anxiety, depression or burnout — are becoming common in elite athletes. Dr. Vellapandian also said he was ready to personally help Lee Zii Jia if the shuttler needs psychological support. There were concerns about the Olympic bronze medallist's mental health after Zii Jia shared a cryptic social media post recently, and which led to the National Sports Council contacting his management team. However, Zii Jia's team responded by saying he was fine. Jinq En said: "As athletes, our emotions run extremely high or really low. Therapy gave me ways to understand myself better." She now turns to drawing and journaling to manage her mental health. "Drawing became an outlet to cope with challenges, and journaling helped me express frustrations instead of keeping them inside," she added. Jinq En, who hails from Subang Jaya, is also using her experience to raise mental health awareness, especially among young athletes. "Conversations about mental health in Malaysia are still just surface-level, but I think my generation and the younger ones are more open to talking about it," she said. "The older generation still sees mental health as taboo — like you just need to tough it out." Jinq En credits social media for helping to shift the conversation. "These days, we can choose the content we consume. I use my platform to promote mental health, and I see a lot of others doing the same. It shows athletes it's okay to talk about this. "But it's a double-edged sword. I've received hate comments. Every athlete in Malaysia has. But I've learnt to ignore them. I'm trying to live my best life, and if that bothers someone, it's their problem." Despite the Olympic setback, Jinq En is focused on what matters most — healing, growing, and using her voice to make a difference.
