13/09/2025

SPORTS SATURDAY | SEPT 13, 2025

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World champions Tang Jie-Ee Wei eye China Masters

Pearly-Thinaah storm into Hong Kong Open semis N ATIO N AL women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah lived up to expectations when they marched into the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open after brushing aside compatriots Go Pei Kee-Teo Mei Xing yesterday. areas to refine, particularly in reducing “simple mistakes”. “We discussed it and reminded each other during the match. For the next game, we’ll be more alert on that and prepare well.”

AFTE R their Paris high, it’s now time for newly minted mixed doubles world champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei to get their feet back on the ground as they gear up for the Sept 16 21 China Masters at the Shenzhen Arena in Shenzhen. Ee Wei admitted that while the world title was a dream come true, she and Tang Jie are determined not to be carried away by the achievement. Instead, she said their priority is to build on the momentum and deliver consistent performances in every tournament. “For us, the world meet (in Paris) is already over. We don’t want to think that we are the world champions or whatever. “We just want to focus on how we play and enjoy the game. We just need to keep focused, stay humble and continue to work hard,” she told the media in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The duo, who have received a combined

total of RM330,000 from various parties after being crowned world champions in the French capital, said their focus remains on achieving greater milestones in the future. “For us, I don’t think anything has changed because we are still badminton players, and we are still athletes,” said Tang Jie. “We want to achieve more for our country and for ourselves as well.” The world No. 3 pair had earlier opted to skip the ongoing Hong Kong Open following their triumph at last month’s World Championships. Tang Jie-Ee Wei have a favourable draw for the Super 750 China Masters, taking on Americans Chen Zhi Yi-Francesca Corbett in the first round. In last year’s edition, the Malaysian pair lost to former world No. 1 Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping of China in the semifinal. – Bernama

Meanwhile, national men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King fought for over an hour before going down 14-21, 22-20, 16-21 to India’s Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy in the last eight. It was the world No. 20 pair’s second defeat to world No. 9 Satwiksairaj-Chirag after also coming second best to the latter in the Thailand Open last year. Despite exiting the tournament, Roy King-Arif can hold their heads high after an encouraging outing. The pair notably stunned Denmark’s world No. 4 Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the first round. Roy King-Arif’s defeat meant that Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s doubles in the competition is over.

Penang sends biggest ever contingent to Evergreen Cup World No. 2 Pearly-Thinaah had no problems sailing to a 21-12, 21-15 quarterfinal win over Pei Kee-Mei Xing in just 31 minutes at the Hong Kong Coliseum. World Championships runners-up Pearly Thinaah will face Yifan-Zhang Shuxian in the last four after the Chinese pair outplayed Taiwan’s Hsieh Pei Shan-Hung En Tzu 21-12, 21-7. Thinaah insisted they are not allowing the hype to affect their focus. “We don’t think about the matches too much. We just want to focus on each other, our gameplay and our strategy moving forward,” she said in a post-match interview. “We are concentrating on consistency and taking things one match at a time.” Although they beat Pei Kee-Mei Xing in straight games, Thinaah admitted there were still PE N A N G will be making history this month when its largest-ever football contingent heads to Tianjin, China, to compete in the 26th World Chinese “Evergreen Cup” tournament. The Penang Chinese Football Association (PCFA) is sending a delegation of 106 players and officials, a record number for the state, to take part in four categories: 45, 50, 55 and 60 years old. The tournament, sanctioned by the World Chinese Football Federation, runs from Sept 22 to 27 with 22 teams from around the world. The Evergreen Cup, which was first held in the mid-1970s, was created as a veterans’ football tournament bringing together Chinese communities from across the globe and has since grown into an international event. Teams from Asia, Europe, North America and beyond converge every two years to celebrate the spirit of “evergreen” vitality. At a flag handover ceremony hosted by former Malaysia Chinese Football Association Lee Soon Huat on Thursday in George Town, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the PCFA’s achievement reflected both footballing ambition and community spirit. “With a total of 106 players and officials, this is not only the largest contingent ever sent by the association, but also a major highlight in Penang’s sporting scene,” he said. Chow described the Evergreen Cup as a platform that unites Chinese communities across borders. He noted that the Evergreen Cup is not just a football competition, but also a grand event that transcends borders and connects Chinese communities worldwide. “Teams gather not only for a contest of skills, but also for friendship and cultural exchange. To represent Penang in such a large-scale event is truly meaningful.” He reminded the players: “While results are important, what matters more is the journey. Regardless of the outcome, as long as you have given your best, you are already winners.” During his speech, PCFA president Teoh Choon Kheng said the association was proud to field such a strong delegation. He recalled that in 2023, PCFA took up the challenge of hosting the 24th World Chinese Veterans Cup, which saw the largest number of participating countries, regions, and teams, and was highly praised by the global football community as one of the most successful Veterans Cups. “We are not satisfied with resting on our achievements, but instead take it as motivation to keep moving forward. “We believe that hard work will never go to waste, and we will continue to learn from the strong teams of the world to raise the reputation of Chinese football in Penang,” he said. Ű BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Munoz hails amazing JDT Southern Tigers hit Penang FC for six ahead of ACL clash against Buriram United

J OHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) head coach Xisco Munoz hailed his side’s 6-0 demoli tion of Penang FC as an “amazing perform ance”, while cautioning that the Southern Tigers must raise their game further as they pre

Entering the second half, JDT did not ease up their attack, and Antonio Glauder added the sixth goal in the 52nd minute. Munoz, however, felt his side could have scored more goals if they had shown greater composure in the final third. “We just need a little more time to find balance in the attacking third. Sometimes we must be more patient, because there were clear situations that could have been finished. “With the quality of players we have, I’m sure we can improve and score more goals in the future,” he said. The Spaniard also praised debutants Ager Aketxe Barrutia and Raul Parra Artal for adapting swiftly to JDT’s high-intensity style of play. “It’s never easy to step straight into the JDT setup, but they worked extremely hard and understood exactly what we wanted. Congratulations to them because they gave their best on their debut,” he added. Looking ahead to the ACL clash against Buriram United at the Buriram Stadium in Thailand, Munoz admitted it will be a tough test but remains optimistic his squad can rise to the challenge. “The most important thing is to stay fully focused from the first minute, play with personality and understand the strength of our opponent. “We know it will be difficult away from home, but we’re confident our fans will be behind us. We have to give everything for them,” he said. The emphatic win tightened the Southern Tigers’ grip on top spot in the standings, while Penang’s struggles continued as they remain in 11th place in the 13-team competition. – Bernama moves, and those at the back also appeared more stable. “Overall, I am satisfied with my players’ performance, but there are still many aspects that need improvement, particularly in decision-making and team organisation. Commenting on Dylan Wenzel Halls’ 54th minute effort that was ruled out, Wan Rohaimi said he accepted the referee’s decision, which deemed there had been a foul in the build-up. “Nothing much to comment on the disallowed goal. Perhaps in the referee’s view, there was contact between our player and the goalkeeper. We accept that - no problem,” he said. – Bernama

pare for their AFC Champions League (ACL) opener against Buriram United on Sept 16. “First of all, congratulations to the players. It was an amazing performance – they controlled the ball, attacked well and created many chances. I’m very happy because they followed the game plan at a very high level, ” he told a post-match press conference at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor on Thursday night. JDT displayed absolute dominance from the start and opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Jairo Da Silva, who headed in a cross from Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi.

Arif Aiman then added the home team’s second goal in the 18th minute before netting his second of the night in the 31st minute to give JDT a comfortable 3-0 lead. Four minutes later, Joao Figueiredo scored JDT’s fourth goal with a long-range shot after spotting Penang goalkeeper Mohd Khairulazhan Mohd Khalid far off his line, before Jon Irazabal completed the first half with a fifth headed goal in injury time.

JDT’s Arif Aiman (left) scores his teams third goal against Penang FC. – BERNAMAPIC

Wan Rohaimi upbeat despite thrashing

PE N A N G FC head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail expressed satisfaction with his players’ fighting spirit despite a 0-6 defeat to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in their Super League clash at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium last night. He admitted, however, that the Harimau Kumbang squad struggled to cope with the relentless pressure from the home side in the first half, which saw them concede five goals. “Overall, I would say we had two very different performances - one in the first half and another in the second. “We were slow to get into the rhythm of the game, and against a team like JDT, you will be punished for that,” he said at the post-match

press conference. “We were hit with five goals in the first 45 minutes. But at halftime, I reminded the players not to give up, otherwise we might concede even more. “I urged them to go all out in the second half, and they showed better spirit after the break. Wan Rohaimi noted that tactical adjustments after the break made his side more stable and enabled them to create several attacking opportunities. He added that in the second half, once the team adjusted its strategy, the players began to look more composed – they managed to control the situation and create attacking