Latest news with #IndonesiaOpen
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Tang Jie-Ee Wei advance, compatriots falter
KUALA LUMPUR: Top seeds Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei were in cruise control as they eased into the quarter-finals of the Macau Open on Thursday with a straight-game win over China's Li Hong Yi-Huang Ke Xin. The world No. 3, who are gunning for their first title of the season, barely broke a sweat in their 21-18, 21-14 victory. Despite consistently reaching the business end, Tang Jie-Ee Wei have fallen in the semi-finals four times this year — at the Malaysia Open, India Open, Indonesia Open and Japan Open. A triumph in Macau, albeit at Super 300 level, would serve as a much-needed morale booster ahead of the Paris World Championships from Aug 25-31. They will next face Indonesia's world No. 25 Adnan Maulana-Indah Cahya Sari Jamil, new opponents for the Malaysians. While Tang Jie-Ee Wei are the favourites on paper, Indonesian pairs have historically proven to be unpredictable and dangerous. World No. 16 and last year's semi-finalists Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin crashed out in disappointing fashion to Denmark's Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Bøje, losing 21-16, 21-16. Although the Danes are a capable duo, Pang Ron-Su Yin were expected to have the upper hand, particularly with Christiansen only just returning from a one-year suspension for anti-doping violations. The ban forced the Danish pair to miss the Paris Olympics despite being ranked No. 11 in the world prior to their withdrawal. The early exit in Macau marked the sixth straight tournament where Pang Ron-Su Yin have failed to progress beyond the last 16. In another second-round match, Loo Bing Kun-Go Pei Kee put up a commendable fight before falling 21-9, 20-22, 21-11 to Indonesia's sixth seeds Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina Marwah.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Pearly-Thinaah soar to world No. 2 ahead of Paris mission
KUALA LUMPUR: It's official — Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are now world No. 2 in women's doubles, marking a career-best and Malaysia's highest ranking in the event in over a decade. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed the latest world rankings on Tuesday, with Pearly-Thinaah leapfrogging Japan's Chiharu Shida-Nami Matsuyama after their semi-final run at the China Open in Changzhou last week. It continues a stellar run for the pair, who were runners-up at the Indonesia Open in June and made back-to-back deep runs at the Japan and China Opens this month. The last time a Malaysian women's pair ranked this high was in 2009, when Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty reached world No. 1. The timing couldn't be better — the ranking boost is set to earn Pearly-Thinaah the second seeding at the World Championships in Paris (Aug 25-31), potentially setting them up for a favourable draw as they chase a historic podium finish. Not even Eei Hui-Pei Tty managed a medal at the world meet during their peak. To mount a serious challenge for top spot, however, Pearly-Thinaah must start winning titles — they remain 22,000 points behind world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning. Meanwhile, compatriots Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing broke into the world's top 20 for the first time, climbing to No. 18 after reaching the quarter-finals in Changzhou — another big step in their rapid rise this season. In men's doubles, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik remain Malaysia's top pair at No. 2, closing the gap on South Korea's Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae after finishing runners-up in China. However, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani slipped one place to No. 4 following an early exit in Changzhou, overtaken by Denmark's Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen. Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun held firm at No. 7, while veterans Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong climbed two rungs to No. 23. Wan Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King (No. 24) and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (No. 29) round off the six Malaysian men's pairs in the world's top 32. In men's singles, Leong Jun Hao continues to lead the national charge, climbing two spots to No. 24 after reaching the last 16 in China. Lee Zii Jia, meanwhile, slipped to No. 35 after another week out with injury. The former All England champion, who fell out of the world's top 32 last week, still holds a protected ranking of No. 9 — allowing him to enter any World Tour event when he returns. In mixed doubles, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei climbed back to world No. 3, matching their career-best position from earlier this year. Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai dropped two rungs to No. 8, while Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin (No. 16) and Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien (No. 32) complete the four Malaysian pairs currently inside the top 32. Women's singles remains the only department without Malaysian representation in the world's top 32 — with K. Letshanaa currently the highest-ranked at No. 41.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Cash kings: Aaron-Wooi Yik surpass RM1 million in season earnings
KUALA LUMPUR: The China Open may have ended in heartbreak for Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, but the world No. 2 men's doubles pair can take comfort in hitting a major financial milestone. Despite falling short in the final, losing to Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shobihul Fikri, in Changzhou on Sunday, the runners-up finish earned Aaron-Wooi Yik a hefty US$70,000 (RM295,435), pushing their total prize money earnings this season to US$264,887.50 (RM1,117,957) — making them the first Malaysian shuttlers to surpass the RM1 million mark thus far this year. It was also the second biggest payday of the season for the 2022 world champions, eclipsed only by the US$74,000 (RM312,317) they pocketed for winning the Singapore Open in June. The pair's earnings from the China Open dwarfed the US$37,325 (RM157,530) they collected from lifting the Thailand Open title and the US$37,000 (RM156,158) from their Asia Championships triumph — both victories that came several months back. This year's China Open carried a US$2 million (RM8,440,998) prize purse, matching the elevated amount introduced in 2023 and maintained for three successive editions. It remains the second most lucrative event on the BWF World Tour calendar after the season-ending World Tour Finals, which boasts a US$2.5 million pot (RM10,551,250) The China Open's prize money still surpasses that of other Super 1000 tournaments such as the Malaysia Open, All England and Indonesia Open, each offering US$1.45 million. While Aaron-Wooi Yik lead the pack, women's doubles world No. 3 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are not far behind with US$206,317.50 (RM871,072) in prize money collected so far this season. The ever-reliable world No. 3 Pearly-Thinaah continued their strong form in Changzhou, reaching the semi-finals and pocketing a cool US$28,000 (RM118,174) for their efforts. It was another solid result to add to a season that includes several lucrative finishes — US$50,750 (RM214,190) and US$33,250 (RM140,331) for finishing runners-up at the Indonesia Open and Japan Open respectively, as well as US$37,525 (RM158,374) for winning the Thailand Open. Next on the list are world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who have quietly put together an impressive year. They have amassed US$146,143.75 (RM617,018), helped by their title wins at the Indonesia Masters and Malaysia Masters. World No. 3 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, the winners of India Open and runners-up of Japan Open, round off the top four earners with US$133,593.75 (RM564,099). With the business end of the season fast approaching, including the Denmark Open, French Open, China Masters and the season-ending World Tour Finals, the race for bigger paydays is far from over.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Aaron-Wooi Yik have 1,000 reasons to win China Open title
KUALA LUMPUR: What a super turnaround by Malaysia's men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik. From falling in the first round of their last two tournaments — the Indonesia Open and Japan Open — they have stormed into the China Open final this week. What a reversal of fortune. And Aaron-Wooi Yik couldn't have asked for a better tournament final — the China Open is a Super 1000 event, the highest tier in the World Tour. World No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik crushed Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty of India 21-13, 21-17 in just 42 minutes in the semi-final at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou on Sunday. Aaron-Wooi Yik, who finished second in five previous finals of Super 1000 tournaments, including the 2023 China Open, now look good to land their first Super 1000 crown on Sunday. It seems coach Herry IP's "no lifting" play is starting to bear fruits as Aaron-Wooi Yik now show better aggression. "It was a very good performance after the last two early exits (Indonesia and Japan Opens), and we are gradually back on track," said Aaron. "We used to play against them (Satwik-Chirag) quite regularly. We don't fear them and were able to give our best on the court." The win, which stretched their head-to-head record against the Indian pair to 11-3, underlined Aaron-Wooi Yik's ability to switch gears effectively. The former world champions and Olympic bronze medallists look imposing in the final against Indonesian scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, However, Fajar-Shohibul, playing in just their second tournament together, look dangerous as they stunned China's world No. 6 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang 21-19, 21-17 in the last four. However, Aaron-Wooi Yik will be eyeing their fourth title of the year in five finals, after capturing the Asia Championships, Thailand Open and Singapore Open earlier. Their triumph compensated for women's doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah's semi-final exit in the day earlier. "We are satisfied with our gameplay and we utilised the tactics from our coaches. We have to keep going with this confidence," said Wooi Yik. "They (Fajar-Shohibul) are a scratch pair and it's not going to be easy. We're banking on our coaches to come up with a good game plan for us. "They have almost the same playing style as us, and it will come down to who is braver at the crucial stages," concluded Aaron.
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Tang Jie-Ee Wei dumped out of China Open quarters
KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 4 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei's China Open campaign came to a halt in the quarter-finals after falling 21-19, 21-15 to China's Guo Xin Wa-Chen Fang Hui on Friday. It was a disappointing result for the Malaysians, who came into the match with a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over the world No. 9, having beaten them twice last year. The defeat also ended Tang Jie-Ee Wei's hopes of reaching a third successive semi-final on the World Tour, following back-to-back last-four appearances at the Indonesia Open and Japan Open.
