13/01/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | JAN 13, 2026

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Almost on par Aaron-Wooi Yik lacked mental edge against Korean pair: Rexy

Penang coach credits new players for revival THE addition of two new players has helped Penang FC stage a resurgence in the second round of the 2025/2026 Super League, said head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail. He said the two – Nur Shamie Iszuan Amin, on loan from Kuching City FC, and 21-year-old Filipino import Amirul Kamil Jaser – are expected to play a crucial role in the remain der of the league season, boosting player confidence after a shaky first round. He added that although they had trained with the team for less than a week, their level of chemistry was very encouraging and had a positive impact on the team overall. Penang thrashed Melaka FC 5-0 at the City Stadium on Sunday night for their second straight win in the second round of the league. “Credit goes to all the players as they showed great determination and desire to win from the start. “Everything we planned went smoothly, and the attack was sharp, scoring four goals in 14 minutes,” he told reporters after the match. However, he expressed concern over 28 year-old Australian striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls, who suffered an injury during the match. Wan Rohaimi said the team is still awaiting a full report from the medical staff on Dylan’s condition, and hopes the injury is not serious and that he can play in the upcoming match against KL City FC tomorrow. Meanwhile, E. Elavarasan, who recently took over as Melaka head coach, admitted that the players have yet to fully adapt to the changes made to the squad. He said the four quick goals scored by Penang put the team in a difficult position, while several early mistakes made it hard to regain control of the match. Sunday’s win saw Penang move up to ninth in the league standings, overtaking Sabah FC on goal difference. – Bernama TE R E N GGA N U FC (TFC) acting head coach Tengku Hazman Raja Hassan has urged his players to maintain their winning momentum ahead of their Super League clash against DPMM FC at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, tomorrow. The 48-year-old coach said the team’s 1-0 victory over PDRM FC last Saturday provided a timely boost for the Turtles as they seek to secure another three points and close the gap on Selangor FC, who currently sit fourth in the Super League standings. He also expressed hope that the victory would help lift recent disappointment and draw fans back to the stadium. “I want the players to remain disciplined and maintain a high fighting spirit in tomorrow’s match,” he said yesterday. “After a long spell without a win, I hope this result will boost the players’ confidence to give their best performance. We must secure all three points to improve our position in the league.” At the same time, Tengku Hazman, a former national player, cautioned his squad to remain alert against DPMM FC, who are currently in fine form after recording four consecutive wins. As such, he hopes to field two new import players – Ehsoni Panjshanbe and Mabatshoev Shervoni – to strengthen the midfield and spearhead the attack. “I need to first assess the condition of the two import players in terms of fitness, as they have only just arrived. “Apart from that, there will be no major reshuffle, and we will stick with the same squad as in the match against PDRM FC,” he said. – Bernama Turtles urged to maintain form

N ATIONAL men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik showed they were almost on par with South Korea’s Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae in Sunday’s Malaysia Open final, but crumbled under pres sure at the crucial moments, said national dou bles coaching director Rexy Mainaky (pic) . Rexy said Seung Jae’s intelligence in control ling the game and the Korean world No. 1 pair’s mental toughness made the difference. “In their previous meeting, Aaron-Wooi Yik won. Their level (at the Malaysia Open) was not far apart, but in terms of confidence in certain situations, the Korean pair were more experi enced. “For example, at 19-18 in the third game, Aaron hesitated whether to hit hard or just play a push, and in the end, the shuttle went out. “Seung Jae was the mastermind. He was clever at neutralising situations. Even though Won Ho was put under pressure many times, Seung Jae managed to calm things down, and he made far fewer mistakes compared to Won Ho,” he told reporters after Sundays final at the Axiata Arena, in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. Aaron–Wooi Yik lost 15-21, 21-12, 18-21 in the 66-minute match, thereby extending the country’s 12-year title drought in the men’s dou bles event at the prestigious tournament.

Aaron-Wooi Yik’s performance at the Malaysia Open was among their best, and they were unlucky not to lift the title. “I think they were consistent. For me, this was among their best performances, apart from the Asia Open where they became champions. “At the Malaysia Open,

Rexy also said the Malaysians were inconsis tent in the first game, but overall, they played according to plan. “Our plan was to stop the Korean pair from

dominating the front court, but that did not work in the first game. It only worked in the second. “The third game saw an early deficit of 11-4 that was dif ficult to narrow as the Koreans controlled the game and forced Aaron-Wooi Yik to play more from the back court,” he said. Asked about Malaysia hav ing only one representative in the Super 1000 final, Rexy said comparisons should not be made as each pair has differ ent levels and strengths.

they were close to returning to their original form. Perhaps this time they just did not have the luck or the fortune to be crowned champions in Malaysia,” he said. However, he acknowledged that facing the South Koreans was not easy, describing them as tough to beat. “We have to earn points against them and can’t rely on them

“Aaron and Wooi Yik’s level of experience in handling situations is still far above pairs such as Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who sometimes still lack confidence. “Having many pairs does not mean we can automatically go far, especially in a Super 1000 tournament where all the top 10 players are competing,” he said. Meanwhile, national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi believes that

making mistakes. The Korean pair is really a class above. We need to stay calmer to win points against them,” he said. Herry said the other Malaysian pairs like Wei Chong-Kai Wun, Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal and Wan Arif-Yap Roy King need more time and training to catch up with Aaron-Wooi Yik. – Bernama

RESULTS & STANDINGS

FROM LEFT: M’sian men’s doubles pair Aaron-Wooi Yik and S. Korean pair Won Ho-Seung Jae pose for photos after the tournament prize presentation on Sunday. – BERNAMAPIC

E N GLI S H FA CUP (3rd round) : Derby 1 Leeds 3, Hull 0 Blackburn 0 aet – Hull won 4-3 on pen , Manchester United 1 Brighton 2, Norwich 5 Walsall 1, Ports mouth 1 Arsenal 4, Sheffield United 3 Mansfield 4, Swansea 2 West Brom 2 aet – West Brom win 6-5 on pen , West Ham 2 QPR 1 aet. S PA N I S H S UPE R CUP (Final) : B arcelona 3 (Raphinha 36, 73, Lewandowski 45+4) R eal Madrid 2 (Vinicius 45+2, Garcia 45+7) . F R E N CH CUP (Last16) : S ochaux 0 Lens 3, Le Mans 0 N ancy 0 (Le Mans win 4-1 on pen) , Metz 0 Montpellier 4, Chan tilly 1 R ennes 3, N antes 1 N ice1 (Nice win 6-4 on pen) , Lille 1 Lyon 2. LA LIGA: R ayo Vallecano 2 (De Frutos 4, Palazon 42-pen) Mallorca 1 (Muriqi 30) , Levante 1 (Losada 55) Espanyol 1 (Romero 53) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 19 16 1 2 53 20 49 Real Madrid 19 14 3 2 41 17 45 Villarreal 18 13 2 3 37 17 41 Atletico 19 11 5 3 34 17 38 Espanyol 19 10 4 5 23 20 34 Real Betis 19 7 8 4 31 25 29 S E R IE A: Fiorentina 1 (Comuzzo 66) AC Milan 1 (Nkunku 90) , Inter Milan 2 (Dimarco 10, Calhanoglu 73-pen) N apoli 2 (McTominay 26, 81) , Lecce 1 (Stulic 1) Parma 2 (Gabriel 64-og, Pellegrino 72) , Verona 0 Lazio 1 (Nelsson 79-og) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 19 14 1 4 42 17 43 AC Milan 19 11 7 1 30 15 40 Napoli 19 12 3 4 30 17 39 Roma 20 13 0 7 24 12 39 Juventus 19 10 6 3 27 16 36 Como 19 9 7 3 27 13 34 B U N DE S LIGA: Bayern Munich 8 Wolfsburg 1, Borussia Moenchenglad bach 4 Augsburg 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts B. Munich 16 14 2 0 63 12 44 Dortmund 16 9 6 1 29 15 33 RB Leipzig 15 9 2 4 30 19 29 Leverkusen 16 9 2 5 34 24 29 Stuttgart 16 9 2 5 29 23 29 Hoffenheim 15 8 3 4 29 20 27

Keeping cool at key points was their edge, say Aaron

THE composure of South Korean world No. 1 pair Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae prevented the coun try’s top men’s doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik from claiming their maiden Malaysia Open title at the 2026 edition here, today. Aaron said Won Ho-Seung Jae, the first seeds for the 2026 season-opening tournament were calmer at the crucial moments in the deciding set which saw them miss out on the chance to become the country’s first men’s doubles to win the Malaysia Open in 12 years. The 28-year-old also admitted that he was dis appointed not to win the Malaysia Open on home soil and once again to take home the Super 1000 title as runners-up for the seventh time in the high-profile tournament. “We did our best but there is not much differ ence between us and the South Korean pair, maybe in the rubber set we were trailing too far and had to catch up point by point and (the situation) then was really tense. “When the crucial point they were calmer, they won 11 titles last year and I think they still brought the confidence and form they had here,” he told reporters. Despite losing in the final, Wooi Yik said the result was a positive start for them and hoped to maintain the consistency they have now until the

end of the season to create more successes for Malaysia. Asked about the failure to win the Super 1000 title after seven attempts, Wooi Yik refused to raise the white flag and was determined to continue fighting to end the wait if they continue to show consistent performance. Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Taufiq Johari praised the national men’s doubles pair for Sunday final, nothing that their performance was proof of their world-class calibre. He said finishing as runners-up at the tourna ment marks significant progress and sets the stage for further success. “Their achievement in reaching the final also ends a 12-year drought for a national men’s dou bles representative to feature in the Malaysia Open final. “Thank you, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, for an extraordinary fight at the 2026 Petronas Malaysia Open. Keep rising, keep moving for ward... all Malaysians are always behind you,” he posted on Facebook on Sunday night. Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz echoed similar sentiments, posting on X that it was not a failure as Malaysia is once again compet ing at the highest level. – Bernama