Pearly-Thinaah make smashing start at Thailand Open

PETALING JAYA: Women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah let their racquets do the talking as they put aside the uncertainty over their contract situation to cruise into the second round of the Thailand Open. The top seeds were in complete control during their opening match at the Nimibutr Arena in Bangkok, sweeping aside India’s Rashmi Ganesh-Sania...

Hazwan is one of a kind as he mixes up his coaching role

PETALING JAYA: Transitioning from coaching men’s singles shuttlers to mixed doubles is hard for some people but not Hazwan Jamaluddin. Hazwan was initially worried when he was moved from the junior men’s singles coaching role to the mixed doubles in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) at the end of last year. The 40-year-old though has been...

No toying with the underdogs

PETALING JAYA: Badminton singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen hinted that a strong line-up will likely be fielded in Malaysia’s opening match against France in the Sudirman Cup today. Malaysia are considered favourites against a weakened French team in their opening Group C match in Xiamen, China, but Kenneth warned against underestimating the Europeans as getting off...

Shuttlers need to show results first before making big demands, says Chong Wei

PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers need to prove themselves before making big demands. Badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei understands that national shuttlers want to earn their worth in monetary payments, but it should only be done if their results were there to back it up. “I’m not saying that our players can’t be asking for much in their...

Jun Hao passes unexpected test to reach second round of Swiss Open

KUALA LUMPUR: Men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao overcame a stern challenge to book his place in the second round of the Swiss Open on Wednesday (March 19). Playing at St Jakobshalle, Basel, Jun Hao was tipped to have little trouble clearing the first hurdle against Japan’s world No. 45 Koo Takahashi. However, the match proved tougher...

Zii Jia books spot in Orleans Masters second round

PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia overcame a strong challenge from Taiwan's Chi Yu-jen to book his spot in the Orleans Masters second round. World No. 7 Zii Jia, who was making his first competitive appearance this year after recovering from an ankle injury, needed to come from behind to claim a 17-21, 21-17,...

In-form Koreans in Sze Fei-Izzuddin’s way in All-England

PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will need to reproduce their brilliant form in the Indian Open to keep their dream of winning the All-England from March 11-16 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. In the draw released on Tuesday (March 4), world No. 2 Sze Fei-Izzuddin will likely face in-form South Koreans Seo...

Zii Jia faces tricky clash against Hong Kong’s Angus Ng in All-England opener

PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia will face Hong Kong's Angus Ng Ka Long in his first round match in the All-England from March 11-16 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Based on the draw released on Tuesday (March 4), world No. 7 Zii Jia will need to be on his toes from the start in...

Coach Kenneth gets perfect birds-eye view on state of Malaysian singles

PETALING JAYA: The first impression matters and singles head coach Kenneth Jonassen got what he wanted from the Malaysian Open – precious and valuable insights. Not even a week into his job as the singles supremo, Jonassen from Denmark had to manage and lead the players at the season opener home tournament in Axiata Arena in...

Badminton: Mixed fortunes for Tang Jie-Ee Wei, Pang Ron-Su Yin in Indian Open

PETALING JAYA: It was a good day for mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei when they made it into the Indian Open second round but teammates Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin crashed out early. Tang Jie-Ee Wei, who reached a career-high No. 3 in the latest world rankings, were in commanding form as they...