The Malaysia Open’s newest title-holder, Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, was excited to celebrate his first Super 1000 win. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR – The badminton season kicked off in full throttle with the exhilarating Super 1000 Malaysia Open held at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil from January 9-14.
As the players dive into this year’s series of tournaments, including the Malaysia Open, the stakes are higher than ever. The race to accumulate crucial points intensifies as shuttlers aim to secure a spot at the Paris Olympic Games taking place in July.
Regrettably, mirroring last year’s outcome, no local shuttlers managed to break into the semi-finals.
Despite this, fans were treated to historic moments that added a unique flavour to the tournament.
Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino etched their names in history as the first Japanese mixed doubles pair to conquer the Malaysia Open. Similarly, South Korea’s An Se-young made history by becoming the first South Korean women’s singles player to seize the prestigious title.
The women’s doubles category witnessed a dominant performance from Chinese duo Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, securing their fifth World Tour title together.
Denmark’s Anders Antonsen celebrated a significant milestone, clinching his first Super 1000 title and expressing his excitement at celebrating the victory with his favourite food.
China’s men’s doubles pairing, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang achieved their second Super 1000 victory after triumphing at the China Open last year.
Scoop photojournalists Alif Omar, Abdul Razak Latif and Azim Rahman captured the vibrant atmosphere within the indoor stadium, and while local shuttlers fell short, there’s optimism and encouragement for them to continue striving and excelling in future tournaments.
The stage is set for an exciting badminton season, promising more thrills and triumphs on the global stage. – January 18, 2024
Malaysia’s top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia lost in the first round to Lu Guangzu of China, in three sets 16-21, 21-19, 21-15. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024National top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik were defeated in the quarter-finals by reigning world champions Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae from South Korea 16-21, 21-18, 21-13. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024National women’s doubles pair Anna Cheong and Teoh Mei Xing lost to world number two pair Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee of South Korea 21-14, 21-13. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024Unseeded independent men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi celebrate their win against the tournament’s fourth seeds, Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the second round, but later lost to Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi in the quarter-finals. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024Denmark’s Anders Antonsen could not contain his excitement after taking down Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the quarter-finals. – Azim Rahman/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024Yugo Kobayashi giving signals to his partner, Takuro Hoki before taking a serve against Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi during the second set of the quarter-finals that they eventually won. – Azim Rahman/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024 Yugo Kobayashi takes the dive to return the shot from their Chinese opponents, Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in the semis, but ultimately lost. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024 China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning clinched the women’s doubles title, making it their fifth World Tour title together. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024Anders Antonsen shares a moment with his coach after winning his first Super 1000 men’s singles title. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, January 18, 2024
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