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The Star
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Doubles duty: Roy King sticks to men's game for now
PETALING JAYA: National shuttler Yap Roy King will now focus solely on men's doubles after coaches couldn't find a replacement partner in mixed doubles following Valeree Siow's injury. Valeree's recurring left knee injury has flared up again, and she is now preparing to undergo surgery. She had been on a long recovery break and only managed to play in two tournaments with Roy King this year, competing at the Asian Championships and Thailand Open. She was forced to withdraw just two days before the Malaysian Masters in May due to the same issue, and it is understood that she will be heading abroad for surgery and rehabilitation. National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes Roy King has strong potential in mixed doubles, having reached as high as No. 43 in the world with Valeree. But following discussions, Roy King has chosen to focus solely on men's doubles with Wan Arif Wan Junaidi while Valeree recovers from a knee injury. 'We don't want it to seem like we're discarding someone when they're no longer useful. With Valeree's current condition, continuing to push Roy King in mixed doubles would only drain his energy unnecessarily,' said Rexy. 'Even Herry Ip (Iman Pierngadi) suggested that Roy King should focus on men's doubles for now, though his potential in mixed doubles is undeniable. 'I spoke with Roy King, and he said that as long as he remains paired with Valeree, he would rather focus fully on men's doubles for the time being. As for his long-term future, I'll leave that to mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto to discuss with Herry and decide what's best.' Rexy also pointed out that the lack of depth among the women's players makes it hard to find Roy King a suitable replacement partner. He believes pairing him with junior players would be counterproductive due to the significant gap in ranking and playing level. 'If he has to continue playing in the mixed doubles, it might just be for a few tournaments to collect ranking points. 'But if he is paired with someone far below his level, it could create more problems. Just imagine Roy King playing in a Super 750 event, then having to travel to Europe for an International Challenge with a different partner. 'That kind of schedule isn't practical and would be far too exhausting,' he added. Roy King-Wan Arif are currently preparing for the Japan Open, which starts on July 15, where they are set to face compatriots Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the first round.
The Star
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Nova to work on Cheng's mental fragility to help her cope with pressure
Ongoing struggle: Since finishing runners-up at the China Masters last November, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin have found it tough to replicate that form. PETALING JAYA: There are no plans to break up mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin for now despite their ongoing struggles on the international stage. National mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto has given his backing to the pair, insisting they remain among the best combinations in the country. Since finishing runners-up at the China Masters last November, Pang Ron-Su Yin have found it tough to replicate that form. They have competed in nine tournaments so far this year, including the Asian Championships, but have failed to progress beyond the early rounds in most. Their best results this season have been quarter-final appearances at the Indonesian Masters and Orleans Masters. Nova believes the root of their struggles lies in their mental fragility particularly Su Yin since stepping up to elite-level competitions. 'Su Yin, especially, is still adjusting to the pressure. Their current ranking is quite high, but they're struggling to manage expectations and it's leading to stress,' said Nova. 'She used to play women's doubles in lower-tier events like the International Challenge, but now that she's competing at a higher level, the lack of mental strength is starting to show.' To help them cope, Nova wants the pair to replicate match pressure during training. 'They've shown quality in flashes, even beating top players in some tournaments. But winning titles takes more than that, it requires strong character and mental resilience. 'This needs to be developed in training. If they can't handle pressure during practice, they won't be able to manage it in real matches. 'They need to get used to different scenarios, for example how to react when they're trailing, how to handle defeat, or how to support each other when one isn't playing well,' he added. Pang Ron-Su Yin will be looking to bounce back at the Japan Open in Tokyo from July 15-20, before heading to Changzhou for the China Open a week later.
The Star
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Eogene says first senior title a spark to fire him up for more
PETALING JAYA: It was relief for shuttler Eogene Ewe (pic) after ending his wait for a senior men's singles title in the Slovenian Open. Eogene fought hard to beat South Korea's Yoo Tae Bin 21-19, 12-21, 21-17 in an hour in Maribor on Sunday to clinch the International Series title. Although it was only a lower tier event, the breakthrough was still memorable for the 20-year-old, who is currently ranked No. 113 in the world. 'This win is memorable for me as it's my first title in a senior tournament. I wish more titles will follow this breakthrough,' said Eogene. 'I didn't think too much and just played my best here. I would like to say that this is a good start for me but I still need to focus and prepare for my next tournaments.' Eogene's previous best results were reaching the semi-finals in the International Challenge tournaments in Vietnam and at home last year. The youngster is looking to continue his good form when he competes next in the Austrian Open starting on Thursday. Meanwhile, reigning Malaysia Games (Sukma) champion Wong Ling Ching also won her first senior international crown in the women's singles by defeating Indonesia's Deswanti Nurtertiati 21-16, 21-15. The victory will come as a boost for Ling Ching after she initially decided to quit the sport and pursue her studies last November before reversing her decision and returning to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). The Sarawakian, who is currently ranked No. 100, will be eager to build on her encouraging showing and move up the ranks. FINAL RESULTS Men's singles: Eogene Ewe (Mas) bt Yoo Tae Bin (Kor) 21-19, 12-21, 21-17. Men's doubles: Huang Tsung-i-Ling Ting-yu (Tpe) bt Jonathan Gosal-Adrian Pratama (Ind) 27-25, 19-21, 21-17. Women's singles: Wong Ling Ching (Mas) bt Deswanti Nurtertiati (Ina) 21-16, 21-15. Women's doubles: Lin Chih-chun-Lin Wan-ching (Tpe) Malena Norrman-Xi Wei (Swe-Aus) 21-7, 21-14. Mixed doubles: Wu Guan-xun-Lee Chia-hsin (Tpe) bt Patra Harapan-Az Zahra Ditya (Ina) 21-19, 21-13.
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Next line of players will start performing in a year or two: BAI gen secretary
CHENNAI: The Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Sanjay Mishra felt things will improve soon because several systems have been or are in the process of being implemented. He felt changes could have been made earlier but a start has been made. 'Let's concentrate on the future,' he said. One such area is creating a decent perennial bench strength. "Of late in international challenge level tournaments, some of our second string players are doing well,' he told the New Indian Express on Friday. 'Today (Friday) at St. Denis International Challenge, there are some four or five quarter-finalists. Tanvi Sharma has won an international event recently. Unnati (Hooda) is another player doing well. Ayush (Shetty) had beaten the All England finalist. Young players have started performing. They will get more exposure and with that, they will be more mature and they will start performing. Within another year or two, bigger results will start coming. 'For big tournaments like the Asian Championships and Thomas and Uber Cup, we will prepare for that. We have the likes of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shettry, who are great doubles players. They are coming back from injury. In women's doubles, we have Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. Because we have limited big players right now, so when they lose then there is a lot of negativity. They are also under tremendous pressure. Now we are banking on the doubles players and singles exponents like PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy. They will support us in the next two years. By that time, the second line should be ready. This happens in sport." But the vacuum the country has seen have not been created over the last one year. If a proper system were to be in place, India might have avoided such a phase. "We have to form a backup with U-15 to U-19 players. Earlier, we had two camps; one in Hyderabad and another in Bengaluru for seniors round the year. Junior camps used to be held before Asian Championships, Worlds, or during other events. Now, we have started an NCOE (National Centre of Excellence) where they will train for 365 days a year. Everyone is training and playing together and going for exposure trips as well. Juniors used to train in their own academies earlier. Now, we will have the line."
