PETALING JAYA: Japan’s Kodai Naraoka captured his biggest title so far in the men’s singles in the China Masters. Surprisingly, World Championships silver medallist Naraoka’s only World Tour title before this had been the Super 100 Vietnam Open last year. The world No. 5 Japanese rose to the occasion to out-play teammate and world No. 13 Kenta...
PETALING JAYA: Professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s inability to break through Kenta Nishimoto’s brick-like defence cost him dearly in the men’s singles quarter-finals of the China Masters. World No. 11 Zii Jia fell to a disappointing 11-21, 12-21 defeat at the hands of world No. 13 Nishimoto at the Shenzhen Bay Gymnasium yesterday. Zii Jia struggled to...
PETALING JAYA: National coaching director Rexy Mainaky has played down the lack of communication between women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah in the China Masters. Something seemed amiss between Pearly and Thinaah in their first-round match against South Korea’s Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong where the duo barely spoke to each other. Pearly-Thinaah went on to lose narrowly 11-21,...
PETALING JAYA: Lee Meng Yean (pic) has parted ways with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) after being attached to the national set-up as a player and a coach for the last 16 years. Playing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with Chow Mei Kuan was the highest point of Meng Yean’s career and she had...
PETALING JAYA: A calm and calculated Lee Zii Jia remained as the sole Malaysian survivor in the China Masters after storming confidently into the quarter-finals in Shenzhen yesterday. If local favourite Lu Guangzu was planning to secure a win in front of his home crowd in the second round, it was just not possible as Zii...
PETALING JAYA: Gregoria Mariska (pic) created history in the Japan Masters by becoming the first women’s singles shuttler from Indonesia to capture a World Tour Super 500 title. World No. 7 Gregoria stunned China’s reigning Olympic champion Chen Yufei 21-12, 21-12 in a surprisingly one-sided final at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium yesterday. The 24-year-old played brilliantly from...
PETALING JAYA: Former shuttler Goh Liu Ying believes that a tweak in Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s training schedules can aid the pair’s push to qualify for the women’s doubles competition in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Pearly-Thinaah had dropped to No. 13 in the world rankings after they were forced to miss several tournaments this year due to...
PETALING JAYA: Shaqeem Eiman Shahyar (pic) has definitely got the beat. The national men’s singles shuttler loves listening to uptempo songs before stepping onto the court. It is part of his pre-game routine which he says elevates his energy levels, ensuring that he is pumped up and ready to take on his opponents. “There are a few things...
PETALING JAYA: Misfortune struck women’s doubles pair Anna Cheong (pic)-Teoh Mei Xing as they were forced to retire from the first round of the Japan Masters. Anna-Mei Xing, the world No. 67, conceded a walkover to Japan’s world No. 41 Sayaka Hobara-Yui Suizu, after Anna hurt her right knee at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium yesterday. The match...
PETALING JAYA: Singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong made headlines when he pulled off a major upset against world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen in the second round of the All-England in May. The spotlight is again on Tze Yong as he prepares to face the Dane in the second round of the Japan Masters today but can...
