Tag: Teo Ee Yi

  • Aya Ohori to Retire by Year-End, Last Match Next Week

    Aya Ohori to Retire by Year-End, Last Match Next Week

    Today, badminton star Aya Ohori announced her retirement at the end of this year via her personal Instagram. The upcoming Kumamoto Masters, starting on November 12, will be her last international tournament in Japan.

    Aya Ohori’s Statement:

    “Hello everyone, I have an important announcement. I have decided to retire at the end of this year.

    My badminton career hasn’t always been smooth, but thanks to the support of so many wonderful friends, I have overcome numerous challenges.

    I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Tonami Transportation Badminton Club for their help over the years. My sincere gratitude goes to the Nippon Badminton Association, all my sponsors, my family, friends, and all supporters. Without you, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today.

    Badminton has taught me a lot, and I’ve experienced many wonderful things through it. I truly love playing badminton, so deciding to retire was not easy. However, I can say that, with everyone’s support, my 22-year career has been filled with joy.

    Next week’s Kumamoto Masters will be my last international match in Japan. I’d be thrilled if you continue to cheer for me. Thank you so much for your warm support over the years.”

    Previous Reports:

    For the past two years, rumors have circulated about Aya Ohori and Malaysian men’s doubles player Ong Yew Sin being in a relationship.

    Both players recently participated in the 2024 Indonesia Badminton All-Star Invitational. Fans spotted two intriguing moments: first, as Ong Yew Sin interacted with a medal-winning player, a female player beside him pointed at Aya Ohori and whispered something to Ong Yew Sin, leading Aya Ohori to playfully touch Ong Yew Sin’s head. In another instance, Cheuk Yiu Lee, sitting beside Aya Ohori in the cheer section, smiled while pointing at Ong Yew Sin in the aisle and then at Aya Ohori, hinting at a relationship.

    There have been previous reports from insiders in the badminton community suggesting that Aya Ohori and Ong Yew Sin have been quietly dating for years. This event at the Indonesia All-Star added fuel to fan speculation.

    Standing at 169 cm, Aya Ohori first traveled to Malaysia in 2015 to participate in the Purple League. In an interview, she mentioned how warm and friendly Malaysians were, even telling her parents that she hoped to settle in Malaysia after retirement and marry a Malaysian.

    It seems possible that Aya Ohori and Ong Yew Sin have known each other for a long time.

    Later, Ong Yew Sin shared a photo on his Instagram featuring himself with Aya Ohori and Arisa Higashino. Fans noted that Ong Yew Sin and Aya Ohori‘s hands were unusually close.

    Today, a Malaysian social media account further fueled rumors by posting a photo of Ong Yew Sin and Aya Ohori allegedly wearing matching outfits while shopping, captioned: “An open secret, best wishes to you both.”

    In 2020, Ong Yew Sin and his partner Teo Ee Yi were dismissed from the Malaysian national team by the Badminton Association of Malaysia. However, their performance continued to improve, with a bronze at the 2021 World Championships. Despite this, they have not won a title since their victory at the 2020 Thailand Masters, with their best results this year being semifinal finishes at the German and China Opens.

    Aya Ohori, a late bloomer, became Japan’s second women’s singles player after Nozomi Okuhara struggled with injuries. Last year, she won a bronze medal in women’s singles at the Asian Games, and this year, she claimed gold at the Thailand Masters and Australia Open, as well as reaching the semi-finals at the Super 1000 China Open.

  • Jeffer Encourages Aaron-Khai Xing to Grow into a Strong Pair

    Jeffer Encourages Aaron-Khai Xing to Grow into a Strong Pair

    National junior head coach Jeffer Rosobin is optimistic about the newly crowned world junior champions Aaron Tai and Khai Xing becoming a formidable duo at the senior level.

    The pair demonstrated their top seed status in boys’ doubles by defeating the Asian Junior champions from China, Hu Keyuan and Lin Xiangyi, with a score of 21-18, 15-21, 21-18 in an exhilarating final on Sunday. This victory marked Malaysia’s first title in the tournament in six years.

    Before them, the last Malaysian champion was Goh Jin Wei, who won the girls’ singles crown in 2018.

    Aaron and Khai Xing are the first Malaysians since Nelson Heg and Teo Ee Yi in 2011 to clinch the boys’ doubles title. Following their impressive junior careers, Jeffer is eager for them to evolve into a top-tier pair.

    Aaron and Khai Xing were focused, brave, and consistent, which led them to victory,” stated Jeffer. “I believe they can further enhance their skills at the senior level; they possess the qualities needed to succeed.”

    The duo has already shown their potential by winning their first senior title at the Thailand International Challenge in March. They have also begun participating in World Tour Super 300 and 500 competitions this year and are currently ranked No. 72 globally.

    Aaron and Khai Xing will compete next in the Malaysia Super 100 tournament, starting today at Stadium Juara.

    In addition, Jeffer expressed satisfaction with the performance of the girls’ doubles team, Dania Sofea Zaidi and Low Zi Yu, who secured a silver medal at the world junior championships.

    At just 14 years old, Zi Yu and Dania, who turns 17 next month, showcased exceptional maturity in their first international tournament together, reaching the final. The duo achieved a remarkable upset against China’s top seeds, Chen Fan Shutian and Liu Jiayue, in the semifinals, becoming the first girls’ doubles team since Pearly Tan and Toh Ee Wei in 2018 to advance to the final.

    Although they lost to Japan’s Ririna Hiramoto and Aya Tamaki with scores of 17-21, 17-21 in the final, their performance was commendable.

    “Overall, our players delivered extraordinary performances at this World Juniors,” noted Jeffer. “Zi Yu, only 14, managed to reach the final and win silver. Both she and Dania are incredibly talented and have the potential to develop into an excellent pair in the future.”

    Malaysia had a successful campaign at the tournament, also securing a bronze medal in the mixed team event.

  • Sze Fei-Izzuddin Overcome Early Scare in First Professional Match at Hong Kong Open

    Sze Fei-Izzuddin Overcome Early Scare in First Professional Match at Hong Kong Open

    There’s been speculation that Chin Eei Hui might step in as the new coach for the independent men’s doubles team of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. However, before making their mark in the second round of the Hong Kong Open, the pair encountered a significant challenge.

    In their first tournament since departing from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Goh and Nur Izzuddin were tested thoroughly by Taiwan’s Lee Fang-chih and Lee Fang-jen. They managed to secure a hard-fought victory with scores of 21-17, 15-21, 24-22 in a gripping 60-minute match at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon.

    The path ahead is unlikely to get any easier for the world No. 12 pair as they prepare to face Indonesia’s Shohibul Fikri and Daniel Marthin in their bid for a quarterfinal spot.

    Goh and Nur Izzuddin are currently the highest-ranked Malaysian men’s doubles pair competing here, given the absence of world No. 5 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

    Although they’ve joined Rosman Razak’s independent coaching team, there’s potential for Eei Hui to come on board as their new coach. Eei Hui recently signed with the same sponsor, Victor, as Goh and Nur Izzuddin.

    Previously, Eei Hui coached the independent pair Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi before relocating to New Zealand early last year to lead the North Harbour Club in Auckland.

    It remains uncertain if Eei Hui will leave her current role and return to Malaysia to coach Goh and Nur Izzuddin.

    In other news, the national pair Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun also advanced to the second round after a comeback win over teammates Yap Roy King and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi with scores of 15-21, 21-8, 21-11.

    They will meet China’s Xie Haonan and Zeng Weihan in their next match.

    Young talents Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing face a challenging first-round match today against South Korea’s world champions Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae, following their 21-12, 21-19 victory over Canada’s Lan Kan Kern and Larry Pong in the qualifiers.

  • Lee Yang Sheds Tears at Retirement Ceremony

    Lee Yang Sheds Tears at Retirement Ceremony

    Taiwanese badminton men’s doubles star Lee Yang held his retirement ceremony yesterday, during which a highlight reel of his career was shown, and several badminton stars offered their blessings. These included Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man, and Indonesia’s doubles specialists Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. Lee Yang remarked that, at the beginning of the ceremony, the atmosphere felt like a class reunion, but after hearing everyone’s blessings, he truly realized that he had reached the end of his career.

    Lee’s former partners, from Chiang Yu-Wei and Lee Jhe-Huei to Wang Chi-Lin, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal, all attended the event to offer their best wishes. Lee Yang made a special comment to Lee Jhe-Huei, saying, “In the past, you were always the first to leave practice early, but this time, it’s my turn to leave the court first.” After saying this, he couldn’t hold back his tears. Chiang Yu-Wei also shared a story, calling Lee Yang a “serious perfectionist.” He mentioned that when they played singles games, the loser had to buy drinks or do push-ups, “But Lee Yang would always seriously record who should be punished on his phone. I’d think, is that really necessary?”

    Lee Yang said, “I’m very grateful to myself for sticking with it for so long. I would sleep at 11 p.m. every day and wake up at 7:20 a.m. If there was anything that could help my badminton, I would want to do it.”

    After the retirement ceremony, Lee Yang posted an emotional message on social media, saying that in a few years, he wasn’t sure if people would still remember him. Reflecting on his past efforts, he recalled how a “little chubby boy” fought hard on the badminton court, pushing himself to be disciplined just to show his best form. Now, that little chubby boy must say a proper goodbye to the court he loved and to the people who supported him. He ended his message with, “The curtain falls on Lee Yang’s badminton career.”

    Regarding his post-retirement plans, Lee Yang revealed that he will begin teaching at a sports university today. In the future, he hopes to find time to organize a cycling trip around Taiwan and to travel to the U.S. to watch NBA basketball games.