Latest news with #YewSin
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Yew Sin seeks perfect wedding gift for wife Ohori at Macau Open
KUALA LUMPUR: After two fabulous weeks on the World Tour, Ong Yew Sin will be hoping to deliver the perfect gift — a title at the Macau Open — for his wife Aya Ohori, a former world No. 7 in women's singles. The Super 300 tournament begins on Tuesday, with Yew Sin and partner Teo Ee Yi taking on Indonesia's world No. 51 Rahmat Hidayat-Yeremia Rambitan in the first round. Yew Sin tied the knot with former Japanese shuttler Ohori in Melaka last month, and since then, the pair have enjoyed a much-needed upturn in form. After seven straight first-round exits, Yew Sin-Ee Yi roared back to reach the semi-finals of the Super 750 Japan Open a fortnight ago — cheered on by Ohori from the stands. The momentum carried into last week's Super 1000 China Open, where they advanced to the quarter-finals. While the Macau Open may not match the prestige of their last two events, Yew Sin-Ee Yi are now eyeing their first title since the 2020 Thailand Masters. However, the path to glory won't be easy. Standing in their way could be Indonesia's world No. 8 Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Isfahani in the quarter-finals Sabar-Reza, coached by former Olympic champion Hendra Setiawan, will first face Malaysia's world junior champions Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing in the opening round. Another experienced Malaysian pair, Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong, will also look to build on recent form after reaching the Japan Open quarter-finals and narrowly losing to compatriots Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the second round of the China Open. World No. 25 Azriyn-Wee Kiong will begin their Macau campaign on Wednesday. In women's doubles, world No. 22 Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing, who impressed by reaching the China Open quarter-finals, will be fired up for another good run. They open against India's world No. 137 Apoorva Gahlawat-Sakshi Gahlawat in the first round.
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Shuttlers hope to have the wind at their backs in quarters
PETALING JAYA: The tricky drift at the Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre is proving to be a challenge for many shuttlers, especially the Malaysians chasing a spot in the China Open semi-finals today. World No. 2 men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik struggled at times to adapt to the conditions but made quick adjustments to pull off a 21-17, 21-18 win over French brothers Christo and Toma Junior Popov to reach the quarter-finals yesterday. They will play compatriots Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, thus assuring at least one ticket for Malaysia in the semis. 'I think we just increased our focus and speed because in the second game, they had a good lead against us,' said Wooi Yik in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation. 'We needed to control the wind better, especially at the front court. We made too many errors, and that's something we need to learn from, particularly when playing on court one. Hopefully, we can adapt better in the next match.' A similar sentiment was shared by compatriots Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, who also booked their place in the quarter-finals. The pair defeated Thailand's Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh 21-16, 21-16. Ironically, the match was also played on court one. 'I think the wind was the key factor for both pairs. The advantage went to whoever managed to control the shuttle better. Everyone knows how tricky the conditions and shuttle can be. 'We had to adjust our strategy constantly, whether we were leading or trailing in the match,' said Yew Sin. In addition to dealing with the tricky drift on court, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallists must now devise a solid strategy to overcome India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty today. The Indian pair have won all four of their encounters since 2023. Their most recent clash came at the Malaysian Open in January, which also happened to be in the quarter-finals. 'We've been trying out new things because we're getting older,' said Yew Sin. 'We've experimented with different strategies for quite some time, although they haven't been very successful. 'Recently, we added a few new elements and the results seem to be better compared to previous tournaments,' he added.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Yew Sin-Ee Yi find new strength with age and Ohori's support
KUALA LUMPUR: Independent men's doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi may be through to the quarter-finals of the Super 1000 China Open, but they're far from satisfied. Despite recording a confident 21-16, 21-16 win over Thailand's world No. 13 Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh in just 30 minutes on Thursday, the world No. 28 Malaysians insist they're still a work in progress. Yew Sin-Ee Yi, who turned heads with a surprise semi-final run at last week's Japan Open, are showing signs of a resurgence — fuelled by tactical tweaks, better shuttle control, and perhaps a little inspiration from off the court. "We're not really happy with our performance yet," admitted Yew Sin. "We're still trying to improve with every match. We've been testing out some new strategies for a while now, and they're only just starting to take shape, but the results are beginning to show. "After this, we'll evaluate where we can improve and how to step up again tomorrow (Friday). Adjusting to the draught in the hall was also key. It really came down to who could control the shuttle better." Momentum appears to be on their side, especially with Yew Sin riding high on personal happiness after tying the knot with former Japanese world No. 7 Aya Ohori in Melaka last month. Ohori's courtside presence — particularly at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during their Japan Open heroics — has been seen as a good-luck charm, and their renewed spirit on court is hard to miss. For Ee Yi, their evolution is a matter of necessity. "Our new approach is something both of us have worked hard on," said Ee Yi. "We're getting older, so we need to adapt. Hopefully, these changes will help us improve even more moving forward." That adaptability will be put to the test on Friday, when they face their toughest challenge yet — a quarter-final clash with India's reigning Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. Although the Indian world No. 12 pair lead the head-to-head 6-3, Yew Sin-Ee Yi's current form and fearless mindset suggest this encounter could go either way.
New Straits Times
19-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Ohori's 'lucky charm' run ends for husband Yew Sin in Japan Open
KUALA LUMPUR: Ong Yew Sin's fairytale run at the Japan Open — with new bride Aya Ohori cheering him on — came to a halt in the semi-finals on Saturday. Yew Sin and men's doubles partner Teo Ee Yi were stopped 21-14, 21-15 by South Korea's world No. 3 Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. It was a bittersweet end to what had been a dream week for Yew Sin — his first tournament since tying the knot with former Japanese star and world No. 7 Ohori in Melaka last month. With his wife watching from the stands, the world No. 30 rediscovered their spark to reach their first World Tour semi-final of the season after crashing out in the first round of seven consecutive events. But their inspired run came undone against the in-form Koreans, who were simply a class above on the day. The defeat also dashed hopes of an all-Malaysian final, with top seeds Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani taking on Taiwan's Liu Kuan Heng-Yan Po Han in the other semi-final.
New Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Japanese wife inspires Malaysian husband to amazing run in Japan Open
KUALA LUMPUR: The presence of his Japanese wife Aya Ohori, the former world No. 7, has been the magic behind Ong Yew Sin's smashing performance as he and Teo Ee Yi served a stunner to reach the Japan Open men's doubles semi-finals yesterday. World No. 30 Yew Sin-Ee Yi produced a major upset in overcoming China's world No. 6 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang 25-23, 21-19 in a 41-minute quarter-final clash at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. The Japan Open has been the first World Tour tournament for Yew Sin since his marriage to Ohori in Melaka last month. Incidentally, the Malaysian played play some of his best badminton in recent memory in the homeland of his wife. Yew Sin-Ee Yi had started the Super 750 event with a bang as they outplayed compatriots and world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, and it was a sign that Ohori's charm is likely to create something special. Not given much of a chance to even clear the first hurdle, Yew Sin-Ee Yi have exceeded their own expectations and will next play South Korean world No. 3 Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae in the last four. "I'm quite excited about this win and it is a confident booster for ourselves. "We have to discuss with our coach on our strategy against our opponents," said Yew Sin. Meanwhile, Ee Yi was delighted to have recorded their second win against 2024 Paris Olympics silver medallists Wei Keng-Wang Chang in five meetings. "We try to overcome unforced errors and also remain patient after losing closely to them in the last two meetings," said Ee Yi. "We are surprised with this run after losing seven first round matches in a row. This really means a lot. "We are not thinking too much abut winning but just trying to enjoy ourselves." However, world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun could not join their compatriots in the last four after being beaten 21-13, 18-21, 21-13 by Won Ho-Seung Jae.
