Individual badminton gets under way: Malaysia's shuttlers seek redemption after team exits
After both team events ended at the quarter-final stage, Malaysia's shuttlers begin the individual competition in Aichi-Nagoya today.
The badminton individual events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games start today, Friday, 25 September, giving Malaysia's shuttlers a second chance to win medals after the men's and women's teams both bowed out in the quarter-finals.
The competition will take place at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.
The schedule
According to the Games schedule reported by Khel Now, the individual events run from 25 to 29 September:
- 25 September: Men's singles, women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles begin
- 26 September: Early rounds continue
- 27 September: Round of 16 and quarter-finals
- 28 September: Semi-finals
- 29 September: Finals
That is a packed programme, with players needing to win several matches in only a few days to reach the podium.
Malaysia's line-up
The Badminton Association of Malaysia named the following players for the individual events, as reported by Bernama:
- Men's singles: Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh
- Women's singles: K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching
- Men's doubles: Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Aaron Chia/Tee Kai Wun
- Women's doubles: Pearly Tan/M. Thinaah, Low Zi Yu/Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan
- Mixed doubles: Goh Soon Huat/Shevon Lai Jemie, Chen Tang Jie/Cheng Su Yin
Several big names are not in Nagoya. Lee Zii Jia, Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong were not in the squad announced in July.
Jun Hao brings confidence
One player who arrives in good spirits is Leong Jun Hao. In the men's team quarter-final against Indonesia on 22 September, he beat Jonatan Christie 20-22, 21-12, 21-17, even though Malaysia lost the tie 2-3.
"In the early part, I felt my rhythm wasn't quite working, and when I fell far behind, I tried to chase back until I managed to secure game points," Jun Hao told Bernama after that match.
Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun, a new partnership formed as part of BAM's long-term plans, also won their match against Indonesia 17-21, 21-16, 21-13, which should give them belief heading into the men's doubles.
Pearly-Thinaah the big hope
In the women's team event, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah beat the reigning world champions, as reported by The Star, although Malaysia lost the quarter-final to South Korea 1-3. As one of Malaysia's most consistent pairs, they are among the country's strongest medal hopes in the individual events.
A chance to reset
The men's team exit extended Malaysia's wait for a team medal in the event, with the last podium finish coming at Incheon 2014, according to theSun. The individual events offer a fresh start, and the national contingent will be hoping badminton can add to Malaysia's tally, which stood at three gold, one silver and five bronze after five days of competition.
Key takeaways
- The Asian Games badminton individual events start today (25 September) and end with finals on 29 September.
- Malaysia have two entries in each of the five events.
- Leong Jun Hao beat Jonatan Christie during the team event and carries good form into the singles.
- Pearly Tan/M. Thinaah beat the world champions during the team event and are among Malaysia's top medal hopes.
FAQ
When are the badminton individual finals? According to the published schedule, the finals are on 29 September.
Who is playing men's singles for Malaysia? Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh.
Why are Lee Zii Jia and Soh Wooi Yik not playing? Neither was included in the squad BAM announced in July. Former world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei said Zii Jia opted out himself, according to the New Straits Times.
Sources: Bernama, The Star, theSun, Khel Now, New Straits Times