Badminton

Jonassen urges Justin to embrace Istora test

PETALING JAYA: Istora Senayan in Jakarta is an ideal stage for Justin Hoh to test his mental resilience against a hostile home crowd when he makes his Indonesian Masters debut this week.

Badminton

Pain-free Tze Yong says next fitness test will decide return

PETALING JAYA: Singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong is simply happy to be back on court, doing what he loves most after a long injury layoff.

Badminton

Jonassen reveals internal issue behind Jun Hao withdrawal

PETALING JAYA: It was not due to illness but an internal issue that forced Malaysia's top men's singles player Leong Jun Hao to withdraw from this week's Indonesian Masters.

Tennis

Tennis-Shelton overpowers Humbert in battle of lefthanders at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - American eighth seed Ben ‌Shelton relied on his power and tiebreak prowess to beat Ugo Humbert 6-3 7-6(2) 7-6(5) in ‌an engrossing battle of lefthanders at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday to reach the Australian ‌Open second round.

Tennis

Tennis-Short shift for Sinner, Keys through as Osaka makes bold Melbourne statement

MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Jannik Sinner and ‌Madison Keys made winning starts to their Australian Open title defences on Tuesday but former champion Naomi Osaka made the biggest splash on day three of the ‌tournament with a dazzling entrance before her match.

Football

Faisal’s magic saves Selangor

PETALING JAYA: Selangor mounted a strong fightback led by captain Faisal Halim to beat Kelantan the Real Warriors 2-1 in the Malaysia Cup round of 16 first-leg match at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru.

Tennis

HIGHLIGHTS-Tennis-Australian Open day three

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Highlights of the ‌third day at the Australian Open on Tuesday (times GMT):

Other Sports

Sailing-Ocean rescue drama as sailor injured deep into RORC Transatlantic Race

Jan 19 (Reuters) - A crew ‌member aboard the German yacht Walross 4 was knocked unconscious in an onboard accident deep in ‌the Atlantic Ocean during the RORC Transatlantic Race, prompting a coordinated mid-ocean rescue, race organisers ‌said.

Badminton

Axelsen shares inspiring tale of how he became the great victor 

PETALING JAYA: Difficult moments often come before a breakthrough, and once it arrives, success begins to gather momentum.

Athletics

Other big names set to light up Asean Para Games after Latif’s pullout

PETALING JAYA: Two-time Paralympic champion Abdul Latif Romly (pic) may have pulled out at the last minute but there are plenty of big names to look for as the Asean Para Games get underway in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Motorsport

Hakim heads to Europe early for thorough gear-up to Moto 3 adventure

PETALING JAYA: Hakim Danish Ramli is flying to Europe early to adjust mentally and emotionally before beginning his Moto3 World Championship challenge with MT Helmets-MSI team.

Badminton

Zii Jia has familiar but tricky foe Prannoy to clear in first hurdle in Indonesia

PETALING JAYA: A tricky path once again awaits former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia as he faces world No. 38 H.S. Prannoy in the Indonesian Masters, which gets underway tomorrow at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.

Cycling

Beasley believes Azizul can still bring glory to Malaysia as he races smarter 

KUALA LUMPUR: He may not be as explosive as before but two-time Olympic medallist Azizulhasni Awang, despite his age, is still as sharp as he has ever been and remains a good prospect to make track cycling history for Malaysia at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in September.

Badminton

Indonesian Harry could be on BAM’s shortlist of new coaches

PETALING JAYA: Could the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) be bringing in another coach from Indonesia as part of their ongoing coaching restructuring?

Football

Perak pack a punch with two Daniels as they plot KL knockout after stunner

PETALING JAYA: Two players with Daniels in their names – one a midfielder and another a defender – were at the heart of A1 Semi-Pro League side Perak's stunning win over top flight outfit Kuala Lumpur in their Malaysia Cup round-of-16 first leg tie on Sunday.

Football

No comfort as Turtles earn two-goal cushion over UM-Damansara

KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu's 2-0 win over A1 Semi-Pro side Universiti Malaya (UM)-Damansara in their Malaysia Cup last-16 first-leg clash yesterday seems like a comfy scoreline but the Turtles had to endure much discomfort than expected.

Football

Coutinho, no relation to ex-Reds star, has granny to thank as he lives up to his name

PETALING JAYA: Penang's new Brazilian striker Douglas Coutinho's love affair with football began almost as soon as he could walk.

Football

Soccer-Kostoulas overhead kick saves Brighton against Bournemouth

BRIGHTON, England, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Greek teenager ‌Charalampos Kostoulas scored with a superb overhead kick in stoppage time to salvage ‌a point for Brighton & Hove Albion in a 1-1 home draw with Bournemouth in ‌the Premier League on Monday.

Football

Soccer-Morocco's Igamane suffers ACL injury, World Cup hopes in doubt

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Lille ‌striker Hamza Igamane suffered an anterior ‌cruciate ligament injury in Morocco's Africa Cup ‌of Nations final against Senegal, the Ligue 1 side announced on Monday, casting doubt over his participation in ‍this year's World Cup.

Football

Soccer-Morocco achieve record FIFA ranking, Senegal rise to 12th

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Morocco ‌have achieved their highest FIFA men's world ranking, rising to eighth, despite ‌losing the Africa Cup of Nations final to Senegal, who climbed to ‌12th on Monday.