Latest news with #WorldTourSuper1000
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Mei Xing-Pei Kee combo set to gain traction with expected top 20 ranking
PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Teoh Mei Xing deserves credit for rebuilding her career in the women's doubles with Go Pei Kee after a series of setbacks. Mei Xing was on a promising path with previous partner Anna Cheong but their combination was cruelly cut short after the latter tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in her right knee at the end of 2022. Anna tried to make a comeback with Mei Xing in 2023 but never fully recovered and was forced to retire from the sport. The pair reached a career high No. 17 before Anna's injury and looked capable of breaking into the world's top 10. Without Anna, Mei Xing played in the mixed doubles with Hoo Pang Ron for a short while. It looked like her career was also going to peter out but the 28-year-old refused to give up and has found a new lease of life after combining with Pei Kee last year. Mei Xing is set to return to the top 20 in the world again with the 23-year-old when the official rankings list are updated today. Mei Xing-Pei Kee, who are currently ranked at No. 22, pulled off a sensational victory over Japan's world No. 8 Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi to reach the ongoing China Open quarter-finals in Changzhou. Although the duo then lost to world No. 7 home pair Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian, it was still a breakthrough for them after making it into their maiden World Tour Super 1000 last eight. It was also Mei Xing-Pei Kee's first win over a pair ranked in the top 10. Mei Xing hopes the breakthrough will be the start of more for her and Pei Kee. 'This is our best performance this year and we are feeling positive,' said Mei Xing. 'We hope to keep going. Our aim next is to try to win a Super 300 or 500 title.' Mei Xing-Pei Kee's only title so far together is the Malaysia Super 100 which they clinched last October. The pair have an opportunity to build on their performance in China when they compete next in the Super 300 Macau Open which starts on Tuesday. Mei Xing-Pei Kee are out to progress further in the tourney after quarter-final finishes in the Indonesian Masters, Orleans Masters and German Open this year.
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Bigger gain after pain
Tough battle: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in action against Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri during the China Open men's doubles final in Changzhou yesterday. — AFP PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have vowed to make amends after missing out on the China Open title by going all out to capture gold in the World Championships. Aaron-Wooi Yik were hoping to win their first World Tour Super 1000 title but were denied by Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, losing 15-21, 14-21 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou yesterday. While it was a disappointing end after a good run in the tourney, the world No. 2 pair are keen to use the pain to drive them to the world title in Paris from Aug 25-31. Aaron-Wooi Yik created history by becoming the first Malaysian shuttlers to win gold in the 2022 edition in Tokyo before claiming bronze in 2023 and are now eyeing a third medal in Paris. 'Our goal is the gold medal in the world meet. We hope to keep improving and grab it,' Aaron told the Badminton World Federation (BWF). 'Next we need to recover and prepare well for the tournament.' Wooi Yik said: 'We still have almost a month to prepare and we want to keep our rhythm until Paris. 'We know there will be high expectations on us but we just want to stay calm because we believe the past is past. Our recent game play is different, so we just believe in each other and the coach's training. We don't expect too much but we still believe we can make it.' One pair who will not be in Aaron-Wooi Yik's way in the world meet are Fajar-Shohibul as the Indonesians have only recently formed a temporary partnership. Fajar has instead qualified for the prestigious tourney with former partner Rian Ardianto. In Changzhou, Aaron-Wooi Yik could not raise their game against Fajar-Shohibul and went down in just 35 minutes to the pumped up Indonesians in a fast-paced match. It was Aaron-Wooi Yik's second defeat in the China Open final after they finished runners-up to home favourites Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the 2023 edition. Aaron admitted that he and Wooi Yik found it harder to play against scratch pairings. 'All their shots were high quality and we couldn't handle them,' said Aaron. 'We always need some time to analyse scratch pairings and adapt against them. We had a game plan against them but they played very well.' Despite missing out on the crown again, Aaron-Wooi Yik are feeling positive about their performance ahead of the Paris showpiece after turning around their form following first-round exits in their last two outings in the Indonesian and Japan Opens. The duo had also made it into their fifth final of the year after capturing the Asian Championships, Singapore Open, Thailand Open and finishing runners-up to teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the Malaysian Masters.
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
China make ambition clear with four home titles in all-local finals
PETALING JAYA: China sent a warning to their rivals ahead of the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris by sweeping four titles in the home Open in all-local finals. Men's singles shuttler Shi Yuqi (pic) led the charge when he fought hard to beat surprise finalist Wang Zhengxing 14-21, 21-14, 21-15 in 64 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou yesterday. World No. 2 Yuqi was the hot favourite against world No. 23 Zhengxing and duly proved his class and experience by capturing his first crown in the home Open and third World Tour Super 1000 title of the year after triumphing in the Malaysian Open and All-England. In the women's singles, world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi secured the title with a commanding 21-8, 21-13 victory over world No. 3 Han Yue in a one-sided final. Han Yue had made it into the title match after South Korea's world No. 1 An Se-young retired from their semi-final match while trailing 19-21, 6-11 due to a knee injury a day earlier. World No. 1 pairs Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning and Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping had earlier justified their top billings by claiming the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles respectively. Shengshu-Tan Ning overcame a stiff challenge from world No. 7 Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian, coming out on top 24-22, 17-21, 21-14 in a thrilling match which lasted 69 minutes. It was the duo's fourth title of the year after their wins in the Indonesian Open, Japan Open and Malaysian Masters and underlined their status as favourites for gold in the world meet. Yanzhe-Dongping also flexed their muscles by ousting world No. 2 Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin 23-21, 21-17, denying the latter back-to-back titles after their success in the Japan Open last week. Yanzhe-Dongping added to their victories this year in the Malaysian Masters and Thailand Open. China will now be in confident mood ahead of the Paris showpiece with the pressure now firmly on their rivals in the world meet.
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Despair as Aaron-Wooi Yik fail to win China Open
This was Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's sixth appearance in the final of a World Tour Super 1000 tournament. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik let slip a golden opportunity to win their first World Tour Super 1000 title after losing to a scratch Indonesian pair at the China Open men's doubles final. The world No 2 pair's hopes of hitting a career high were dashed by the unranked giant-killers Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, losing 15-21, 14-21 in just 34 minutes. The Indonesians played aggressively, giving Aaron-Wooi Yik little chance to come back after taking huge leads. Aaron-Wooi Yik took home US$70,000 (RM295,146) as runners-up while the champions won US$148,000 (RM624,000). This was Aaron-Wooi Yik's sixth appearance in the final of a World Tour Super 1000 tournament. Today's result marks a huge win for the Indonesian duo, capturing a Super 1000 title despite the China Open being just their second international tournament after being paired up. Aaron-Wooi Yik were gunning for a fourth title this year, having won the Thailand Open, Singapore Open and Badminton Asia Championships. The two-time Olympic bronze medalists can however take heart as this was their 13th World Tour final appearance in their badminton career, of which they have won four.
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Final loss in China fuels Aaron-Wooi Yik's fire to be world champs again
PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have vowed to make amends after missing out on the China Open title by going all out to capture gold in the World Championships. Aaron-Wooi Yik were hoping to win their first World Tour Super 1000 title but were denied by Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, losing 15-21, 14-21 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou on Saturday (July 27). While it was a disappointing end after a good run in the tourney, the world No. 2 pair are keen to use the pain to drive them to the world title in Paris from Aug 25-31. Aaron-Wooi Yik created history by becoming the first Malaysian shuttlers to win gold in the 2022 edition in Tokyo before claiming bronze in 2023 and are now eyeing a third medal in Paris. "Our goal is the gold medal at the world meet. We hope to keep improving and grab it," Aaron told the Badminton World Federation (BWF). "Next, we need to recover and prepare well for the tournament." Wooi Yik said: "We still have almost a month to prepare, and we want to keep our rhythm until Paris. "We know there will be high expectations of us, but we just want to stay calm because we believe the past is past. "Our recent gameplay is different, so we just believe in each other and the coach's training. We don't expect too much, but we still believe we can make it." One pair who will not be in Aaron-Wooi Yik's way in the world meet are Fajar-Shohibul, as the Indonesians have only recently formed a temporary partnership. Fajar has instead qualified for the prestigious tourney with former partner Rian Ardianto. In Changzhou, Aaron-Wooi Yik could not raise their game against Fajar-Shohibul and went down in just 35 minutes to the pumped-up Indonesians in a fast-paced match. It was Aaron-Wooi Yik's second defeat in the China Open final after they finished runners-up to home favourites Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the 2023 edition. Aaron admitted that he and Wooi Yik found it harder to play against scratch pairings. "All their shots were high quality, and we couldn't handle them," said Aaron. "We always need some time to analyse scratch pairings and adapt against them. We had a game plan against them, but they played very well." Despite missing out on the crown again, Aaron-Wooi Yik are feeling positive about their performance ahead of the Paris showpiece after turning around their form following first-round exits in their last two outings in the Indonesian and Japan Opens. The duo had also made it into their fifth final of the year after capturing the Asian Championships, Singapore Open, Thailand Open and finishing runners-up to teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the Malaysian Masters.
