16/05/2025

FRIDAY | MAY 16, 2025

31

SPORTS

Hard fight in Bangkok Aaron-Soh rally to secure second round spot in Thailand Open N ATIONAL MEN’S doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik powered into the second round of the Thailand Open 2025 after defeating France’s Julien Maio and have set a target of reaching at least the quarterfinals in this tournament. Wan Arif and Yap will next face compatriots Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai, who defeated Thailand’s Pharanyu Kaosamaang and Tanadon Punpanich 12-21, 21-13, 21-15 in 58 minutes.

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ITALIAN CUP FINAL: AC Milan 0 Bologna 1 (Ndoye 53) . LA LIGA: Alaves 1 (Jordan 79-pen) Valencia 0, Villarreal 3 (Perez 23, 31, Pepe 45) Leganes 0. TOP 10 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 35 26 4 5 95 36 82 Real Madrid 36 24 6 6 74 38 78 Atletico 35 20 10 5 60 27 70 A. Bilbao 35 17 13 5 51 26 64 Villarreal 36 18 10 8 64 47 64 Real Betis 35 16 10 9 53 43 58 Celta Vigo 36 15 7 14 56 54 52 R. Vallecano 35 12 11 12 37 42 47 Mallorca 36 13 8 15 34 42 47 Osasuna 35 10 15 10 43 51 45 SHORTS Muhammad Irfan eager thrower Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin has expressed his excitement ahead of the Asian Athletics Championships (ATF) in Gumi, South Korea, from May 27 to 31, but has not set any targets. The 29-year-old athlete said his preparations are going smoothly and that he is now focusing on refining his throwing technique. “At the moment, there’s not much that needs to be changed in terms of training. I’m sticking to the same routine as before. Right now, my focus is all about technique and explosiveness. “Hopefully, there won’t be any injuries before the championship,” he said in a video shared by Malaysia Athletics yesterday. When asked about his target for the meet, Muhammad Irfan said he does not want to put unnecessary pressure on himself. “My hope for the championship is to give my very best and 110% when I compete. Just enjoy the competition and don’t stress,” he said. At the 2023 Asian Championships in Bangkok, Muhammad Irfan won bronze, the national contingent’s sole medal at the meet, with a throw of 59.63m. His best result at the ATF came in 2017 in Bhubaneswar, India, where he won silver with a throw of 60.96m. Cheng Hoe sees bright future under Cklamovski HARIMAU MALAYA Technical Director Tan Cheng Hoe has expressed his pride in being part of the national team’s current transformation under head coach Peter Cklamovski. Cheng Hoe, who returned to the national set-up in the new capacity last month, said his discussions with Cklamovski have convinced him of a clear long-term vision to elevate Malaysian football across all levels. “It’s part of my job to assist the coaches in finding the best way to suit the national playing style. At the same time, we must encourage more young players to dream of representing the country. "It’s not easy these days for players to break into the national squad but we as age-group coaches must instil that ambition,”he told a press conference to announce the Harimau Malaya squad at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya here, today. Cheng Hoe, who guided Malaysia to the 2018 AFF Cup final when he was the Harimau Malaya head coach then, believes that the national team is heading in the right direction under Cklamovski’s leadership and remains optimistic about the future. to shine NATIONAL discus

11, 21-14. Another national women’s doubles pair, Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing, also advanced to the next round after defeating Taiwan’s Chen Su Yu-Hsieh Yi En 21-15, 18-21, 21-15 in 48 minutes. Pei Kee-Mei Xing will next take on Indonesia’s Meilysa Trias Puspitasari-Rachel Allessya Rose, who ousted their compatriots Apriyani Rahayu Febi Setianingrum 24-22, 21-18. However, fellow women’s doubles players Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting failed to advance, losing to the third-seeded Indian pair Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela 15-21, 13-21 in 39 minutes. Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, professional shuttler Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin secured a hard fought victory against China’s Wang Zheng Xing, winning 21-12, 19-21, 21-18 in 59 minutes. Aidil now faces a challenging task as he takes on the tournament’s eighth seed, Lu Guang Zu of China, who earlier defeated Thailand’s Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul 21-15, 14-21, 21-19. In the mixed doubles, all Malaysian pairs crashed out in the first round with seventh-seeded Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin failing to make their mark, losing to Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh-Omnicha Jongsathapornparn 21-15, 18-21, 17-21 in a closely fought match lasting an hour. World No. 56 pair, Yap Roy King-Valeree Siow also bowed out, losing to South Korea’s Ki Dong Ju Jeong Na Un 18-21, 17-21 in 33 minutes. In the men’s doubles, Low Han Yee-Ng Eng Cheong exited the tournament after losing to top seeds Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia, 11-21, 17-21 in 32 minutes. – Bernama

William Villeger yesterday morning. The reigning Asian men’s doubles champions needed over an hour to secure a hard-fought 22-24, 21-19, 21-15 victory. Aaron acknowledged that playing after midnight had affected their performance, particularly in the opening game, but they managed to recover in the subsequent games. “We are happy that we managed to make a comeback and advance to the next round,” he told Bernama at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok. Soh added that they are still adapting to their new coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi, and his tactical approach. “This is only our second or third tournament under coach Herry, and we hope to perform well and deliver results,” he said. Meanwhile, in an earlier match, Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King advanced to the second round after overcoming India’s Pruthvi Krishnamurthy and Sai Pratheek in a gruelling encounter, winning 22-20, 17-21, 21-18 in over an hour. Wan Arif admitted that nerves affected their performance, leading to a subpar display. “Our defence was poor, our shots lacked quality, and we committed too many unforced errors. If we can progress further, I hope we can play better in the upcoming matches,” he said. Wan Arif also revealed that he and his partner

In Wednesday late matches, Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, cruised into the second round after defeating India’s Rashmi Ganesh-Sania Sikkandar in straight sets. The world No. 5 pair needed just 24 minutes to secure a 21-11, 21-5 win in their match at the Nimibutr Stadium, here. Thinaah said they were excited to be back in Thailand and had not set any specific targets to avoid putting pressure on themselves. “In the first game, we just wanted to give our best for every point played… it’s a good start today, and we hope to maintain our momentum for the next match,” she told Bernama . Pearly added that the court conditions were favourable, with a slight breeze that was manageable. “The court conditions are good. Although the wind is one-sided, it is not very strong, which allowed us to control the shuttle well. “We will keep giving our best and hope to carry this momentum throughout the tournament,” she said. Pearly-Thinaah will next face the Indonesian pair of Lanny Tria Mayasari-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, who earlier defeated Thailand’s Tidapron Kleebyeesun and Nattamon Laisun 21

Malaysia, Thailand in regu showdown

Malaysia’s Mohammad Azlan Alias (front) in action against Vietnam. – BERNAMAPIC

MALAYSIA marched into the final of the regu event with a convincing 2-0 semifinal win over Vietnam in the Sepak Takraw Asian Cup 2025 Championships at the Titiwangsa Stadium in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Mohammad Syahir Rosdi (tekong), Farhan Adam (feeder) and Mohamad Azlan Alias (killer) showed that they were clearly a class above their Vietnamese rivals with a 15-8 win in the first set. In the second set, Muhammad Haziq Hairul Nizam was brought in to replace Mohammad Syahir and, despite Vietnam giving a sterner fight, the Malaysian regu managed to see them off 15-10. “We came under pressure against Vietnam but, thankfully, we managed to overcome them to set up a title showdown against Thailand,” said Mohammad Syahir. “They will surely be seeking revenge for their defeat in the World Cup last year. “I will always be ready irrespective of whoever is chosen by the coach to be the first-choice tekong tonight.” The national regu advanced to yesterday semifinals after defeating Brunei 2-0 in a quarterfinals while Vietnam overcame Indonesia 2-1 in the another quarterfinal match at the same venue. Earlier, Muhammad Haziq, Farhan and Mohamad Azlan had no issues maintaining their winning momentum as Group A champions to secure the first set 15-7. Mohammad Syahir was brought in to replace Muhammad Haziq, injecting team spirit and helping to close out the victory with a 15-4 score. – Bernama