KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 – On a day of triple defeats, Tokyo Olympic bronze medal winners Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik kept Malaysia’s flag flying in the men’s doubles at the USD600,000 Yonex French Open at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris on Friday.

The fourth seeded Malaysians will play Korea’s Ko Sung Hyun-Sin Baek Cheol in the semi-finals on Saturday after staging a remarkable fightback to down India’s fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty 18-21, 21-18, 21-17 in 61 minutes.

They were the only bright spark in the quarter-finals on a day when professionals Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (men’s doubles) and mixed doubles pairs Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Yin and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie fell by the wayside.

Yew Sin-Ee Yi went down in straight games 21-13, 22-20 to Indonesia’s top seeds and current world No 1 Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in only 26 minutes to end their campaign in Paris.

Fifth seeds Peng Soon-Liu Ying lasted only 37 minutes to Japan’s No 3 seeds Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino in their 21-10, 21-17 defeat after a below par performance.

Thailand’s top seeds in the mixed doubles Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai were too hot for Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie. The Thais walked away with a 21-14, 21-10 win in only 29 minutes.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 – It was another toughie for Malaysia on the artificial turf in Ulaanbaatar in the AFC Under-23 qualifiers but did enough to carve out a 1-0 win over Mongolia in a Group J match played at the MFF Stadium on Thursday.

The win kept Malaysia’s unbeaten record in Ulaanbaatar, having beaten Laos at the same venue in their opening match. Malaysia complete their fixtures with a match against Thailand on Sunday.

Just like in the match against Laos, Malaysia had a player booked as early the third minute by the referee from Iran. It was another case of below par refereeing.

Late callup Nur Azfar Fikri Azhar once again turned hero for Malaysia with the winner in the 40th minute.

It came via a corner kick by Hairiey Hakiman and Azfar who was at the far post gleefully headed home the opportunity that fell his way.

Malaysia could have won by a bigger margin but Mukhairi Ajmal saw two of his attempts come off the bar in the 37th and 74 minutes.

Before Malaysia scored, Mongolia too muffed a golden chance to go ahead in the 36th minute. However, Ganbayar Ganbold, who well placed to beat Malaysian goalkeeper Azri Ghani, sent his attempt wide when the ball landed nicely at his feet.

Overall, the robust and aggressive Mongolians rattled the Malaysians with their hard pressing game. It was frustrating for Brad Maloney and his team but they did enough for the win and three points.

It was a much better performance from the Malaysians overall, compared to the match against Laos.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 – National top shuttler Lee Zii Jia continued with his roller-coaster form when he was knocked out by Malaysian-born Singaporean, Loh Kean Yew in the first round in the USD600,000 Super 750 Yonex French Open on Wednesday.

This comes just days after the All-England champion went out 21-19, 21-19 to Denmark’s Olympics champion Viktor Axelsen in the quarter-finals at the Denmark Open.

The seventh seeded Zii Jia was expected to go far in Paris but he lasted only 39 minutes at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin Court 1 on a day when Malaysia tasted victories in the men’s doubles through fourth seeds Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.

The Olympic bronze medal winners knocked out scratch pair Goh V Shem-Low Juan Shen in straight games 25-23, 21-12.

In the women’s doubles, up and coming Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah cleared their first hurdle with a 23-21, 21-10 win over England’s Jessica Hopton-Jessica Pugh in a 44-minute encounter.

Meanwhile, top seed in the men’s singles Kento Momota, who finished runners-up in the Denmark Open last week, advanced to the next round with a battling performance against India’s K. Srikanth to prevail 21-18, 20-22, 21-19 in 79 minutes.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 – The recent announcement of Rexy Mainaky renewing his links with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) after a nine-year absence has created a buzz of excitement in the badminton world.

The 53-year-old Indonesian ace, who is a permanent resident in Malaysia is a household name in the game, will be take his post as the deputy director of coaching effective December 1. Former Malaysian Thomas Cupper Wong Choong Hann is the incumbent BAM coaching director.

Choong Hann has been the ‘The Voice of BAM’ in recent times. However, the BAM supremo Tan Sri Norza Zakaria has embarked on a Olympic gold mission after Malaysia could only win a rather lucky bronze medal through Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the men’s doubles.

The BAM coaching setup is expected to undergo revamping after Malaysia’s returned without a gold medal in the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Rexy’s arrival has left many question marks. Will he be handed wide ranging powers, especially in the doubles?

For the record, Rexy’s arrival will expand BAM’s Indonesian family in the coaching setup. BAM already has a strong pool of Indonesian coaches in the setup – Hendrawan (men’s singles), Flandy Limpele (men’s doubles), Indra Wijaya (women’s singles) and Paulus Firman (mixed doubles). Malaysian Chan Chong Ming handles the women’s doubles.

Rexy needs no introduction in the shuttle sport. He comes with strong credentials, having achieved highs as a player and also a coach.

The most recent, as head of coaching with the Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT).

Just three years ago, the lovable Rexy guided Thailand to the runners-up spot in the Uber Cup (women’s team championships) in Bangkok.

Kantaphon Wangcharoen achieved a first for his country by winning the bronze medal (men’s singles) and Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (mixed doubles) in the 2019 World Championships in Basel, Switzerland.

Rexy is not new to Malaysian badminton. He was the men’s doubles coach from 2005-2012 who groomed Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong into world beaters.

The pair also won Asiad gold in Doha in 2006, defeating Indonesia’s Luluk Hadiyanto-Alvent Yulianto 21-13, 21-14 in the final.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong also won the All-England in 2007 – defeating China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng 21-15, 21-18 for the title.

Tan Sri Norza is rather diplomatic when he said: “Look forward to Rexy working with Choong Hann and the rest of the coaching staff for the future of Malaysian badminton.”

Read between the lines and this statement carried lot of weight – more so when not all are happy with Choong Hann’s ‘politics’ as the director of coaching.

All in all expect changes to take place just when you don’t expect. Just like when BAM went on a ‘chopping exercise’ and removed a number of coaches and also players out of the blue.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 – The twice postponed Malaysia Games (Sukma) Johor 2020 will be held next year confirmed Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu on Monday.

However, in the same breath the minister left a big question mark on the venue for the games that have been postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is reliably learnt that Johor has opted out as the Sukma XX host for various reasons although it has all the facilities in place for the Games dubbed as Malaysia’s “Mini-Olympics”. Some existing infrastructure were upgraded and new ones were also built.

There is a strong possibility that the National Sports Council (NSC) will host the coming Games while Johor has applied to be the host in 2024 with Kelantan the likely venue for the 2026 edition.

The Sukma Supreme Council is expected to meet in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday to decide the matter.

Sukma were held biennially to tap young budding talent in various sports and groom them for international meets like the SEA Games, the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and even the Olympics.

Sukma Johor 2020 were rescheduled to be held in either March or April next year – on a much smaller scale after it was postponed from last year and again this year. It is learnt that MSN will reduce the Games to a smaller scale.

Malaysia’s ”Mini-Olympics” are only for those aged 23 years and below but due to the pandemic, some leeway is expected to be given to those who have trained so hard.

The Games are often the launching pad for athletes to break into the national teams.

The biennial games were first held in 1986. Johor was due to host the Sukma for the second time after first hosting it in 1992.

Apart from Johor Bahru, which will be the main venue for the games, the venues are Muar and Kota Tinggi.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 – Penang international Quentin Cheng came off the bench to play an inspiring role for Malaysia in their 1-0 win over Laos in their opening Group J match of the AFC Under-23 qualifier at the MFF Stadium in Ulaanbataar, Mongolia on Monday.

It was a match Malaysia could have won by a bigger margin but it was another tale of missed chances.

Overrated players like Luqman Hakim Shamsudin failed to make an impact and it will be a tough call in the remaining two matches in the group – against Mongolia and Thailand.

The cold weather and the artificial pitch are no excuses for Malaysia’s performance. Coach Brad Malooney certainly has a lot to do.

The match was only three minutes old when Malaysian skipper Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi was already found his name  in Tajikistan referee Sadullo Gulmurodi’s little book for a late tackle on an opponent.

For those who watched the match will agree that Sadullo himself was below par in his match handling.

He allowed play to go on many a time despite late tackles by Laos players. Mukhairi’s early booking did rattle the confidence of the Malaysian players who adopted a cautious approach.

Quentin came off the match in the 66th minute and two-minutes later the score line read Malaysia 1 Laos 0.

The Penang player, whose impressive form for the Panthers in the Super League earned him a national call up, added more life into the game.

His cross from the right was well connected by Nur Azfar Fikri Azhar into the far corner – beating Laos goalkeeper Solasak Thilavong all the way.

Malaysia’s next match is against Mongolia who held mighty Thailand to a 1-1 draw in their opening match.

Luqman and company cannot muff scoring chances if Malaysia wants to qualify for the final round in Uzbekistan from June 1-19, 2022.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 – Newly crowned Premier League champions Negeri Sembilan has pulled out of the prestigious Malaysia Cup football competition this year.

This comes in the wake of 20 players and four officials of the team were tested Covid-19 positive just days before the oldest football competition resumed on October 29 after the international break.

The 20 players and four officials are currently undergoing compulsory 10-day home quarantine and monitored by the Ministry of Health officials. Their close contacts are also being monitored.

The Negri Sembilan FC, in a statement on its official Facebook, apologised to their fans that the team has been forced to withdraw from Malaysia Cup due to the deadly virus and called on them to pray for the well being and health of the players and officials.

“For the safety of all parties concerned we will not be able to continue the Malaysia Cup campaign on the recommendations of the team doctor,” said the statement.

Negeri Sembilan was supposed to resume it Malaysia Cup campaign in Group C on Oct 29 with a home match against Kedah FC.

This was to be followed by an away match against the Red Eagles on Nov 2, Melaka United (Nov 6) and Kelantan United (Nov 9).

In their earlier matches, Negeri Sembilan lost 0-2 to Melaka United and beat Kelantan United 1-0.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 – The drums are still beating and the celebration vibrations are still being felt in Indonesia after dethroning China 3-0 in the final played in the Danish City of Aarhus on Sunday.

It ended Indonesia’s 19-year wait to regain the prestigious silverware for the men’s team championships they last won in 2002.

Indonesia did reach the final in 2010 and 2016 but ended up playing second fiddle on both occasion.

World No. 7 Jonatan Christie was the man of the hour at Ceres Arena when he clinched Indonesia winning point for an unassailable 3-0 lead.

The Asian Games champion in 2018 (he also won the SEA Games gold in 2017), was super fit with tons of energy when he downed Li Shi Feng – hailed as China’s next star in the making with a 21-14, 18-21, 21-16 in an absorbing 82-minute battle.

For the record, Christie endured a 100 minute battle against Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the semi-finals.

He came through the endurance 25-23, 15-21, 23-21 and this would not have come at a better time – a timely booster to his confidence.

The 2018 Asian Games gold medalist, who also won the 2017 SEA Games gold,  had a rather topsy-turvy run in the Sudirman Cup (mixed team) in Vantaa, Finland, turned out to be ace in the pack for Indonesia.

He brought out the best in his game in the Thomas Cup semi-finals and the final. He was mobbed by his teammates after clinching the winning point.

Indonesia had ended a painful 19-year wait. Indonesia celebrated while China was left crest fallen.

The 14th Thomas Cup title means a new chapter in the history of Indonesian badminton. Aarhus will be remembered by the Indonesian team. The figure 13 was rather painful for Indonesia but expect a new journey for the team from now on.

The joy and celebrations that followed at the Ceres Arena. For skipper, veteran Hendra Setiawan, who has won every other badminton title in his illustrious badminton career, no words can describe what he felt when he lifted the silverware.

Everything went right for Indonesia in the final. The Indonesians juggled their line-ups and when Anthony Sinisuka Ginting took the first point in his come-from-behind 18-21, 21-14, 21-16 win over Lu Guang Zu in 77 minutes, it boosted their morale and confidence.

Indonesia promoted their third ranked doubles pair Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto to play first doubles.

The pair showed no jitters and the “promotion” worked as the World No 7 took only 43 minutes to down He Ji Ting-Zhou Hao Dong 21-12, 21-18. Indonesia 2-0 up.

The rest is history as Christie whose win gave Indonesia an unassailable 3-0 win.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 – Lee Zii Jia crumbled, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik crumbled and the burden was on young Ng Tze Yong to check the tide but the 22-year-old from Johor fought in vain as he lost out on experience and Indonesia steam rolled Malaysia 3-0 in the Thomas Cup quarter-finals on Friday.

The Ceres Arena in the Danish City of Aarhus, was once again the scene of disappointment as Zii Jia showed his inconsistency in his 21-15, 21-17 straight games defeat to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in 51 minutes. It was not what Malaysia expected from the skipper of the team.

The Indonesian, who won the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, snuffed out the Malaysian with his power play that came with confidence. Ginting knew that the first point for his country could turn the tide in Indonesia’s favour.

As for Malaysia, Zii Jia, who hails from Alor Setar, Kedah, it once again showed his roller coaster ride in his game that he needs to be build up his mental strength to establish himself as a world beater. His physique alone cannot win matches.

It was another sad story of Tokyo Olympics bronze medal winners Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik as they fought a 64-minute three-game battle against current world No 1 Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo.

The Indonesians, who themselves are having a roller coaster run this year, checked in with a 21-17, 16-21, 21-15 win that was sweet revenge for their defeat in the Tokyo Olympics. They targeted Wooi Yik, whose defense was a big let down on Friday.

Once again it was left for Tze Yong to warm the hearts of the Malaysian camp with his cool and tremendous fighting spirit against the Asian Games champion. Christie used his vast international experience, coming back from a game down for a 14-21, 21-19, 21-16 win in a 75-minute thriller.

For the record, Indonesia also stopped the Malaysians at the same stage in the 2018 Thomas Cup finals in Bangkok.

Indonesia will now face Denmark for a place in the final while China will take on Japan in the other semi-final on Saturday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 – Malaysia will need more than just luck to beat Indonesia in the Thomas Cup Finals after a demoralising 4-1 defeat to Japan in their final Group D match at Ceres Arena in Aarhus, Denmark on Thursday.

At the same time Malaysia need to stop that “learning process” if the young Malaysian team is extend their stay in Denmark. Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles) and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (mens doubles) are seasoned campaigners on the big stage.

Zii Jia is the reigning All-England champion while Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik won the bronze medal at the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

No doubt they have notched some results in the Sudirman Cup (mixed team championship in Vantaa, Finland) and the on-going Thomas Cup Finals in Aarhus.

It stops that. They have been simply inconsistent with their performance. At the same time a nagging question being asked is why Malaysia is fond of trying out new combinations? The coaching panel may have their own reasons but why during a major meet?

Malaysians often get carried away with one or two wins over a top ranked player or players. It is sickening to hear players being praised with that win.

Malaysian players lack the mental strength and mentality to ride on the momentum to embark on their success.

Zii Jia was one point away from clinching the morale boosting first point for Malaysia in the first singles but instead he blew away that opportunity in his 21-15, 12-21, 21-23 defeat to world No 1 Kento Momota in a marathon 80-minute encounter.

The defeat had an effect on Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik who were a pale shadow of themselves and succumbed 13-21, 13-21 defeat to Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi in 37 minutes to hand Japan a 2-0 lead in the tie.

World No 70 Cheam June Wei gave a battling performance against 13th ranked Kanta Tsuneyama before bowing out with a 20-22, 13-21 defeat in 49 minutes.

It was 4-0 up for Japan in the tie when Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani went out tamely 10-21, 16-21 to Akira Koa-Yuta Watanabe, a scratch pair in 39 minutes.

It was left for Leong Jun Hao to give Malaysia some respect and it came in the form of a 21-9, 21-18 upset win over 16th ranked Kenta Nishimoto in 51 minutes. The Malaysian youngster is ranked 120.

Indonesia, the top seeds in the Thomas Cup, is full of fire – more so when Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Anthony Ginting seem to have checked their slide in form.

However, it is third singles Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, who has turned out to be the ace in the pack for Indonesia.

The quarter-final tie between Indonesia-Malaysia will be a repeat of the 2018 Finals in Bangkok which the Indonesians won.