Malaysian badminton officials said yesterday China would skip next year’s Proton Malaysian Open Super Series tournament after pulling out of the Super Series Masters finals in Malaysia two weeks ago.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) general manager Kenny Goh said the China Badminton Association had informed them their players would not compete in next year’s season opening Super Series event scheduled for Jan. 6 to Jan. 11 in Malaysia.
“China informed us that their players were undergoing a three-month training stint at an army camp,” Goh told Bernama news agency. “I have also received information that apart from the Malaysian Open, the Chinese players would also skip the Korean Open, which is the second Super Series event, scheduled from Jan. 13 to Jan. 18, just two days after the tournament here.”
PHOTO: AFP
On Dec. 12, China Badminton Association secretary-general Liu Fengyan said the country’s team would not be in the season-ending Super Series Masters finals, citing “a hectic calendar, risk of aggravating injuries and an upcoming three-month training camp.”
The US$500,000 tournament was played without Olympic men’s singles champion Lin Dan, men’s doubles silver medalists Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng and women’s doubles gold medallists Du Jing and Yu Yang. Malaysian players swept three titles — the men’s singles, doubles and women’s doubles — and are preparing for the next two tournaments, Goh told Bernama.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS