25/06/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | JUNE 25, 2025

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New incentive to play for Best Asean golfer in RSGC Ladies’ Amateur Open to earn Maybank qualifier slot T HE Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC) is expecting around 60 participants for the 48th edition of the RSGC Ladies’ Amateur Open Championship boosted

RESULTS & STANDINGS

NATIONAL men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi remains hungry for success, challenging his players to win either the Japan Open or China Open title next month. Herry said preparations for both tournaments – the Japan Open from July 15-20 in Tokyo and the China Open from July 22-27 in Changzhou – have been progressing smoothly so far. “The preparation is going very well. I have a personal target and hope the players can win one of the titles (Japan or China Open) for Malaysia,” he told reporters after a training session yesterday. The Super 750 Japan Open offers a total prize pool of US$950,000 (RM4 million), while the China Open, a Super 1000 tournament, promises an even bigger purse of US$2m (RM8.5m). Since taking over as national men’s doubles coach in February, Herry has quickly made an impact, guiding 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to victory at the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships in April, followed by titles at the Thailand Open and Singapore Open last month. The 62-year-old Indonesian coach also played a key role in helping another Malaysian pair, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, to clinch the Malaysia Masters last month. At the same time, he acknowledged that other Malaysian pairs, including Wan Arif Wan Junaidi Yap Roy King and Choong Hon Jian Muhammad Haikal Nazri, still need time to close the gap with Aaron Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun. “Each pair is different. For example, Aaron-Wooi Yik only needed two to three months to adapt to my training style because of their maturity. So I need to give time to the others to catch up with the top pairs,” he said. Herry, nicknamed the “Fire Dragon”, is a highly regarded coach credited with producing numerous world-class Indonesian pairings, including Olympic gold medallists Candra Wijaya-Tony Gunawan (Sydney 2000) and Hendra Setiawan Markis Kido (Beijing 2008). – Bernama Herry eyeing more glory Group B: Atletico Madrid 1 (Griez mann 87) Botafogo 0, Seattle Sounders 0 Paris Saint-Germain 2 (Kvaratskhelia 35, Hakimi 66) . P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 3 2 0 1 6 1 6 Botafogo 3 2 0 1 3 2 6 Atletico 3 2 0 1 4 5 6 Seattle 3 0 0 3 2 7 0 QUALIFIED ELIMINATED CLUB WORLD CUP Group A: Inter Miami 2 (Allende 16, Suarez 65) Palmeiras 2 (Paulinho 80, Mauricio 87) , Porto 4 (Mora 23, Gomes 50, Aghehowa 53, Pepe 89) Al Ahly 4 (Abou Ali 15, 45+2-pen, 51, Ben Romdhane 64) . P W D L F A Pts Palmeiras 3 1 2 0 4 2 5 Inter Miami 3 1 2 0 4 3 5 Porto 3 0 2 1 5 6 2 Al Ahly 3 0 2 1 4 6 2

earlier that she wanted to come and play in our tournament but then again, what happened was she got a wildcard to play at the Evian in Paris and she’s thinking of turning pro by then,” she said. The championship will be played on the Club’s Championship Course, comprising the Ist Nine of the Old Course and the 2nd Nine of the New Course. The tournament is open to female amateur golfers aged 12 and above (as of Aug 3) with a USGA Handicap Index of 13.4 and below. “When we lower the handicap, what we are saying is we want better golfers to come. So, if you are a serious participant in a tournament, you want to play with the best,” she said. – Bernama

“We have had many, many ladies who have turned pro in the past few years. And we are very proud that we are able to nurture or give a platform to these ladies to move on to the international stage,” she told reporters yesterday. When asked if there would be any prominent Malaysian players participating, Ai-Leen said they are still waiting for confirmation from the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) and expressed hope that Malaysia’s top golf prospect, Mirabel Ting would be able to join the tournament. She added that the championship could serve as a valuable platform and practice round ahead of the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. “It would have been lovely if she (Mirabel) had come. In fact, she actually promised us

by the introduction of a new incentive where for the first time, the best player from Asean will earn a slot in the Maybank Championship Asean Qualifying Round 2025. Organising chairperson Ai-Leen Tan said the tournament scheduled from Aug 5-7 has already attracted entries from countries including Guam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and India. “We are very excited that over the last 10 years, our tournament has become more competitive attracting more serious golfers who would like to make golf their career.

Leong Jun Hao. – BERNAMAPIC

Jun Hao relishes challenge as nation’s top men’s singles shuttler

NATIONAL men’s singles player Leong Jun Hao isn’t backing down from the pressure of being Malaysia’s top shuttler but is using it to motivate himself to perform better. The world No. 25 said he is fully aware of the expectations that come with this ranking but rather than feeling burdened, he’s embracing the moment. “There will always be pressure, but to me, this is a challenge and morale-booster,” he told reporters after a training session yesterday. According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world rankings, Jun Hao is ranked ahead of professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia, who is in 28th position, followed by Justin Hoh (43rd) and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin (46th). Zii Jia, who is the Paris 2024 Olympic Games bronze medallist, has been out of action since last March following an ankle ligament injury. Jun Hao said he is currently focusing on improving both his physical condition and on-court sharpness ahead of key tournaments.

The 25-year-old, who last played in the Indonesia Open earlier this month, said he will return to competition next month, starting with the Japan and China Open before

heading to the World Championships in Paris (Aug 25-31). When asked about his targets for the next tournaments, he said he would rather focus on one match at a time and not look too far ahead.

Jun Hao admitted that he to expectations this season, as he is still adapting to the tactical approach of national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, who assumed the duty earlier this year. Of the nine tournaments he has played this year, Jun Hao only managed to reach the quarterfinals once at the Singapore Open last month, where he lost 13-21, 11-21 to world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand. – Bernama had not performed up

SHORTS

qualifier at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on June 10. SEA Games prospects shortlisted: CDM THE Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) has drawn up a shortlist of candidates for the posts of chef de mission (CDM) and Deputy CDM for the SEA Games in Thailand in December. OCM president Tan Sri Mohd Norza Zakaria said he would be meeting Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh yesterday to discuss the matter before a final decision is made. “The issue now concerns logistics, as we know the SEA Games will be held in three locations – Songkhla, Chonburi and Bangkok. So I think we will discuss appointing one CDM and a few deputies. “We will look at three or four personalities, and it will be a combination of an OCM administrator, a former athlete and representatives from the NSAs (National Sports Associations),” he said on Monday. Previously, the National Sports Council (NSC) had urged OCM to expedite the appointment of the CDM, Deputy CDMs and team managers for

the Thailand SEA Games. NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin explained that early appointments are crucial to ensure planning and coordination can be carried out in a more organised manner, especially with NSAs and other stakeholders. Sivasangari falls in PSA opener NATIONAL squash player S. Sivasangari began her 2024/25 PSA Squash Tour Finals campaign with a straight-game defeat to second seed Olivia Weaver of the United States in Group B yesterday. The 26-year-old put up a strong fight but was unable to overcome the in-form world No. 4, losing 9-11, 9-11 in the 32-minute match at the Revival Film Studio in Toronto. The Kedah-born player is scheduled to face Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir in her second group stage match. In another Group B clash, Japan’s Satomi Watanabe edged Aboelkheir 11-7, 9-11, 13-11 in a tightly contested 51-minute battle. Sivasangari is in Group B alongside Weaver, Watanabe and world No. 14 Aboelkheir. Only the top two players from each group will advance to the semifinals.

Hevel joins Southern Tigers JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) have reinforced their squad for the 2025/26 Malaysia League (M League) season with the signing of Malaysia international Hector Hevel, underlining their intent to maintain domestic dominance. The Southern Tigers announced the arrival of the 29-year-old Dutch-born midfielder through a video shared on their official Facebook page on Monday, shortly after confirming the addition of Spanish-born defender Jon Irazabal. Hevel, who qualifies to represent Malaysia through heritage, will wear the No. 8 jersey with JDT this upcoming season. “Welcome to the Home of Champions, Hector Hevel. Midfield maestro Hector Hevel is our latest addition!” the club posted in the announcement. The former ADO Den Haag and Portimonense player made a strong start to his international career, scoring on his debut in Malaysia’s 2-0 win over Nepal during the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in March. He also featured prominently in the national team’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in their Group F