Latest news with #TaiwanOpen
New Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Letshanaa bows out in US Open quarter-finals
KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler K. Letshanaa's gallant run in the US Open came to an end at the quarter-finals in Iowa on Friday. The world No. 50 could not raise her game against India's world No. 66 Tanvi Shah and lost 21-13, 21-16 in 33 minutes. Letshanaa had earlier scalped Japan's 2017 world champion Nozomi Okuhara and India's world No. 49 Aakarshi Kashyap en route to the last four. National singles coach K. Yogendran said Letshanaa needs to be more consistent. This is her second quarter-final exit this year following the Taiwan Open last month. "Overall, she deserves credit for beating higher ranked players but she must be more confident after this to improve in her next tournament (Canada Open)." The 16-year-old Tanvi had beaten second seed Nguyen Thuy Lin of Vietnam and Taiwan Open runner-up Pitchamon Opatniputh of Thailand before stopping Letshanaa in Iowa. Meanwhile, Yogendran is confident world No. 43 Justin Hoh will bounce back in the Canada Open in Markham, Ontario next week, after falling in the second round to Taiwan's world No. 76 Liao Jhuo Fu in the US Open. "Justin is facing new challenges in every tournament. It is a stepping stone and I expect him to bounce back stronger in Canada," added Yogendran. "He is slowly coping to face different obstacles against opponents he has never played before." Men's singles world No. 99 Eogene Ewe lost in the US Open qualifying rounds and women's singles world No. 96 Wong Ling Ching was shown the exit in the second round.
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Ewe Hock says Justin must be quick to address his flaws
PETALING JAYA: National men's singles shuttler Justin Hoh's (pic) early exit from the US Open has raised concerns, especially after undergoing four weeks of intensive training leading up to the tournament. Before making the long journey to Iowa, the 21-year-old had put in serious preparations with hopes of delivering a breakthrough result, particularly after the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) made the costly decision to fund his participation in the event. However, Justin failed to live up to expectations after falling to Taiwan's world No. 76 Liao Jhuo-fu in the second round. Ranked 43rd in the world, Justin was tipped to progress further but went down 15-21, 21-9, 17-21 in a 59-minute battle. The defeat dashed his hopes of replicating the strong run he enjoyed at the Taiwan Open earlier this month, where he reached the quarter-finals in another Super 300-level tournament. He had started his US Open campaign confidently, cruising past Belgium's Julien Carraggi 21-10, 21-10 in the first round. Former national shuttler Ong Ewe Hock believes Justin must urgently address his shortcomings if he wants to make the leap to the top level. Ewe Hock said the youngster needs to prove his worth quickly to be considered among the world's best. 'For me, it's unhealthy when you perform well while leading, but once your opponent takes the lead, you start feeling less confident. This is a weakness that he needs to address,' said Ewe Hock. 'This issue must be tackled in training sessions, and most importantly, the feeling of wanting to give up must be avoided. 'I believe Justin and his coach are aware of this, and they will work together to resolve it.' Justin will compete at next week's Canadian Open in Markham, where he is set to face Wang Po-wei of Taiwan in the opening round. Meanwhile, women's singles shuttler Wong Ling Ching failed to progress further after losing to Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova 20-22, 12-21 in the second round in the US meet. Fortunately, K. Letshanaa kept Malaysia's campaign alive by reaching the quarter-finals. She battled past India's Aakarshi Kashyap 21-17, 20-22, 21-13 and will next face another Indian opponent, Tanvi Sharma.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Letshanaa's strong run in US Open impresses Jonassen
KUALA LUMPUR: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen hailed K. Letshanaa in securing her biggest career win by outplaying Japan's 2017 world champion Nozomi Okuhara and India's Aakarshi Kashyap en route to the US Open quarter-finals in Iowa on Thursday. World No. 50 Letshanaa played the match of her life to oust world No. 42 Okuhara 21-8, 21-18 in the first round and world No. 49 Aakarshi 21-17, 20-22, 21-13 in the second round. "A strong performance (against Okuhara). It's not easy to follow up with a win yesterday (Thursday) against a just as good but lesser known opponent (Aakarshi)," said Jonassen who is currently back in Denmark on holiday. It was Letshanaa's second quarter-final appearance in a Super 300 event on the World Tour this year after the Taiwan Open last month. Okuhara was also a bronze medallist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a winner of 17 international titles. But multiple injuries have affected the 30-year-old from Nagano. Letshanaa faces a tricky match against India's world No. 66 Tanvi Sharma in a late last eight match on Friday. Tanvi is just 16 but secured an impressive win over Thailand's world No. 58 Pitchamon Opatniputh in the second round. The Thai was runner-up at the Taiwan Open where Letshanaa managed only a last eight spot.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
National Games medal-winning runner Twinkle Chaudhary provisionally suspended after positive doping test
Multiple National Games medallist Twinkle Chaudhary has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid Methyltestosterone. The 28-year-old middle-distance runner from Jalandhar had recently won gold in the women's 4x400m relay, silver in the 800m, and bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay at the National Games held in Uttarakhand. In April, she set a new meet record of 2:00.71s in the 800m at the National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Kochi. Earlier this month, Chaudhary won silver in the 800m at the Taiwan Open and finished fourth in the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea in May. The AIU has issued her a 'notice of allegation,' and she will now have the opportunity to present her case at a hearing. Chaudhary's suspension is the latest blow to Indian athletics, which continues to grapple with a poor doping record. Just last month, quarter-miler Sneha Kolleri was suspended after testing positive for another steroid, Stanazolol. India topped the 2023 doping charts among countries that conducted over 5,000 tests, with an adverse findings rate of 3.8%. Of the 204,809 tests conducted globally, India accounted for 214 positive cases—over 11% of the total. The Sports Ministry has pledged to intensify anti-doping efforts through awareness campaigns. An amended National Anti-Doping Act is expected to be introduced in Parliament soon, after addressing concerns raised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding government interference. The AIU enforces anti-doping regulations globally in athletics.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Letshanaa flies solo into US Open quarters as Justin, Ling Ching crash out
K. LETSHANAA delivered a spirited performance to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open, securing Malaysia's stake in the Super 300 tournament as her teammates faltered in the early rounds. The world No. 50 battled past India's Aakarshi Kashyap (world No. 49) in a gritty 65-minute clash, winning 21-17, 20-22, 21-13 in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Thursday. The 21-year-old is now eyeing a maiden Super 300 semi-final berth when she takes on India's Tanvi Sharma (world No. 66) today. Letshanaa's fine run includes a straight-game upset of Japan's former world champion Nozomi Okuhara (21-8, 21-19) on Wednesday. This marks her second quarter-final appearance in a Super 300 event this year, following her showing at the Taiwan Open in May. But, it was a disappointing outing for Justin Hoh and Wong Ling Ching. Seventh seed Justin (world No. 43) struggled with consistency once again, bowing out to Taiwan's world No. 76 Liao Jhuo Fu 21-15, 9-21, 21-17. His early exit is a missed opportunity to gain valuable ranking points in a field lacking top-tier players. Ling Ching, who had stunned fourth seed Hsu Wen Chi in the opening round, failed to maintain her momentum. The world No. 96 lost 22-20, 21-12 to Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova, ending her campaign in the second round.
