28/05/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | MAY 28, 2026

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N ATIONAL mixed doubles pair Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin caused an upset in the first round of the Singapore Open, stunning top seeds and China’s world No. 1 Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping 23-21, 21-16. They only made their debut as a team at last week’s Malaysia Masters, where they were elimi nated in the first round. Su Yin said she had made a conscious decision before the match to keep the approach simple, tell ing Jimmy that against a top Chinese pair, points would not come easily and discipline was every thing. “Our game plan is to be patient because they are world No. 1, so it will be hard to get a kill,” she told the Badminton World Federation in a post-match inter view. “I said we must be even more patient, whether at the back or the front, because it’s hard to win a point.” Jimmy echoed the same message, saying the key was to remain composed even while going on the offensive. “The key was staying patient because they are strong and the top seeds, so you must be patient and aggressive,” he said. “I’m happy because in the last tournament, we didn’t play that well. We just had to forget about the Malaysia Masters early exit and tried to get our form back and we have managed to get it.” In women’s doubles, world No. 2 pair Pearly Tan M. Thinaah marked their return to action with a hard-fought victory, defeating Taiwan’s world No. 26 Hu Ling Fang-Jheng Yu Chieh 20-22, 21-16, 21-15. This is their first tournament after Pearly suffered a back injury at the Badminton Asia Championships in April. In women’s singles, K Letshanaa gave Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Chen Yufei a real scare before crashing out.

Stunning win Jimmy-Su Yin stun world No. 1 at Singapore Open

SHORTS

Axelsen meets fans in Penang

FORMER world No. 1 and two time Olympic badminton cham pion Viktor Axelsen made his first public appearance in Malaysia by meeting fans in Penang on Tuesday since announcing his retirement from professional badminton last month. The appearance formed part of a regional engagement series organised by Monitor ERP and marked his transition from the professional circuit into a broader role as a global brand ambassador and partner. In a statement issued by Monitor ERP, Axelsen said years of competing at the highest level had taught him discipline and resilience beyond sport and that he remained grateful despite stepping away from competition to prioritise his long-term health. “Since I first picked up a racket, my dream was to become the best in the world. Competing on the biggest stages has taught me lessons about discipline and resilience that go far beyond sport,” he said. Held under the theme “Celebrating the Legacy of Viktor Axelsen”, the programme began with a morning session at Monitor ERP’s headquarters in Tanjong Tokong before continu ing with interactive activities at the MBPP Relau Sport Complex. Participants joined precision shot challenges while children took part in on-court activities with the Danish star. Fans also attended a meet-and-greet ses sion, participated in a live ques tion-and-answer segment and conveyed messages of apprecia tion and well wishes. KL CITY FC will soon resolve its management and financial issues, including outstanding player salaries, said its patron, Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. Fahmi said several previously raised issues have been success fully resolved following improve ments to the club’s administra tion since his appointment. He stressed that financial and administrative management must be strengthened to pre vent the same problems from recurring next season. “Several things have been improved. We believe funding issues will, insya-Allah, no longer be a major problem. “We will also address a few more matters to ensure there are no obstacles regarding licensing requirements,” he told reporters after a Perdana unity Qurban programme in Lembah Pantai yesterday. The Malaysian Football League (MFL) reportedly imposed a fine of RM45,000 on KL City FC and another club under Article 8(f) of the MFL Club Licensing Regulations. The decision was made fol lowing a meeting of the MFL Club Licensing First Instance Body (FIB) held yesterday. KL City will resolve issues soon: Fahmi

Japan’s Riko Gunji. The world No. 34 battled hard but eventually fell 22-20, 21-17 to the world No. 19. In men’s singles, national shuttler Leong Jun Hao also crashed out in the first round, marking his fifth opening-round exit in six tournaments this year. Jun Hao’s campaign came to an end after he fell to Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia Hao 21-18, 20-22, 8-21 in a 54-minute battle at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The world No. 26 admitted that he lost consis tency during the second set after his opponent picked up the gameplay to win the set. “I tried to chase him in the second set but in the end, I could not get the game while in the rubber set, he (Chia Hao) was more comfortable in his game to win the match. “I think I need to be more consistent and the coach also told me I should maintain my consistency during the game,” he told Bernama . In mixed doubles, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei’s quest to make amends for their disappointing Malaysia Masters campaign also got off to a winning start, the world champions defeated compatriots Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing 21-16, 21-19. – Agencies

The world No. 30 looked on course for a massive upset after snatching the opening game against the Chinese star, only for Chen’s class and experience to shine through in a hard-fought 19-21, 21-15, 21-17 comeback win after 66 gruelling minutes. The 22-year-old Malaysian came out firing and refused to be intimidated by her decorated oppo nent, matching Chen stroke for stroke in a tense opening game. With the score locked at 19-19, Letshanaa held her nerve brilliantly to grab the next two points and stun the fourth seed. Buoyed by the breakthrough, the Malaysian con tinued to pile the pressure on in the second game and stayed within touching distance for long stretches as Chen struggled to shake her off. But the former Olympic champion finally found another gear midway through the second game, opening up an 11-8 lead at the interval before forcing a decider with a 21-15 win. Letshanaa refused to go quietly in the third game and once again pushed Chen all the way in a fierce exchange of rallies. However, the Chinese ace’s composure in the big moments proved decisive as she edged clear late on to complete the comeback and end the Malaysian’s brave run. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s women’s singles chal lenge suffered another early blow after Wong Ling Ching was dumped out in the opening round by

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27/05/2026

9724 9912 7654

National mixed doubles pair Jimmy Wong (left) Cheng Su Yin in action against China’s Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping (unseen) on Tuesday. – BERNAMAPIC

8244 8024 4498 2586 8221

3042 2551 8319 2544 0304

2275 2174 2447 4978 9102

7422 4786 6873 3941 0496

RM16,880,346.19

9724 + 7654 9912 + 7654 7654 + 9912

9724 + 9912 9912 + 9724 7654 + 9724

RM232,266.27

Nuno to stay as Hammers boss NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO will stay on as West Ham manager to lead their fight to get back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

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The Hammers have been relegated to the Championship for the first time since 2012. Club sources estimate it will cost them £200 mil lion (RM1.04b) in lost revenue, which means, after a hefty loss of more than £100 million (RM520m) in their latest accounts and more losses expected this season, player sales from a squad including much coveted stars like skipper Jarrod Bowen and Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes are inevita ble. Nuno’s promotion drive at Wolves was led by Ruben Neves and loan signings including Diogo Jota. It remains to be seen whether he will have the same calibre of players this time around. However, after a slow start following Graham Potter’s dismissal in September, West Ham feel they have seen enough in Nuno to believe he can repeat his promotion feat. “While the ultimate outcome on Sunday was a painful one, the board of directors believe that there have been broader signs of improvement and pro gress in recent months, and we want Nuno to con tinue developing that progress,” the club said. – Agencies

The Portuguese met with the club’s senior man agement yesterday in the wake of their relegation from the top flight. Although both parties could have severed ties without compensation, they decided to stick together in the hope Nuno will repeat his promo tion campaign with Wolves in 2018. “We are pleased to confirm he has expressed his continued commitment to the club – as we have to him,” wrote the club in an open letter to supporters. “Nuno made it very clear that he is highly moti vated for the challenge of guiding West Ham United back to the top flight at the first time of asking. That must be the unquestionable goal for next season. “Nuno has spent one previous year in the Championship and it was an outstanding success as he secured 99 points to win the title with Wolverhampton Wanderers.” West Ham’s statement accepts the club “cannot shy away from the fact our season has not been good enough”.

RM10,744,699.93

RM126,269.26

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41254

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241

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