Malaysia join Japan and Philippines in semi-finals

Malaysia strolled to 2-0 victories over Singapore and Korea respectively to advance to the semi-finals of the ISTAF SuperSeriesFinals 2014/15 NAKHON PATHOM here on wednesday.

The Malaysians wrapped up their match against the Singaporeans 21-13, 21-14 in 34 minutes but closed the day’s proceedings by struggling to get past Korea 23-21 and 21-13 in a late match. They had on Tuesday defeated Japan 2-0 at the NakhomPathom Municipal Gymnasium. 

Coach Abdul Talib Ahmad’s boys now go into Thursday’s semi-finals showdown with Philippineswho finished second in Group A after going down 0-2 in a pulsating tie against defending champions Thailand. The Thais, champions in the last two SuperSeries, take on Japan in the other semi-finals.

“We did well to beat Singapore but faced a tough fight by the Koreans. I think the combination of Syahir (Rosdi), Farhan (Adam) and Khairol (Zaman) is improving. There seems to be better understanding now as we go for the early blows,” said Abdul Talib. “Now we will focus on our semi-finals match against Philippines. They (Philippines) are playing extremely well here and we have to look out for them. We cannot afford for any form of complacency in our game.”

Syahir (tekong), Farhan (feeder) and striker Khairol were once again entrusted to demolishthe Singaporean wall.The trio raced to a 12-5 lead in the first set against veteransFarhanAmran and Muzaffarshah Ismail, and RaihanAlladin before winning 21-13.The second set was all over in 17 minutes with the Malaysians winning 21-14.

Abdul Talib, however, replaced Syahir and Khairol with Ahmad Aizat as tekong and Mohd Zamreecoming on as striker in the starting line-up against the Koreans. This new combination saw the Malaysians struggle against a side that has nothing to lose after failing to make it to the last four.

Thailand had earlier in the day brushed off a meekly challenge from perennial arch rivals Myanmar, winning 21-4, 21-8 in 30 minutes but it was the match against the Filipinos that attracted so much hype and attention based on their prolific performances against India and Myanmar in group matches.

After Thailand took the first set at a canter, winning 12-21 through NattaponKraiwan, ThawisakThongsai and RangsirodSirisamutsarn, the Philippines trio of RonsitedGabayeron (tekong), Jason Huerte (feeder) and striker Emmanuel Escotegot their acts togetherin the second set and found their rhythm.

They had everything going after taking a 10-6 lead and were embroiled in a point-for-point battle at one stage but Thailand made sure the night was theirs by quickly racing to a 21-17 victory which lasted 20 minutes.

In the women’s division, defending champions Thailand posted a 21-5, 21-18 wins over Myanmar while Vietnam defeated Korea 2-1. Both teams advanced to the semi-finals.

The Koreans, however,sent Japan crashing to their second defeat in a late match today following 21-13, 21-19 victory to stake a claim in the last four. In the semi-finals, the Thais entertain Korea while Vietnam takes on Myanmar.

The ISTAF SuperSeries platform is created by Asia Sports Ventures, the exclusive long term global commercial and development partner of the International Sepaktakraw Federation.

Malaysia humble Japan but Philippines steal the show

Malaysia registered a fairly easy win over Japan but it was Philippines who hogged the limelight in the first day of the ISTAF SuperSeries Finals 2014/15 NAKHON PATHOM. 

First choice tekong SyahirRosdi, feeder Farhan Adam and striker KhairolZaman took 37 minute to down Japan’s Sho Hasegawa, Ikki Mito and Toshitaka Naito 22-18, 21-14 at the NakhomPathom Municipal Gymnasium.

In the second set, Malaysian coach Abdul Talib Ahmad substituted Syahir with Ahmad AizatAzmi but the replacement did not go down too well as Aizat was constantly placing the ball into the net during service, giving the Japanese easy points from unforced errors.

The Malaysians play Singapore and Korea tomorrow to decide their chances of advancing to Thursday’s semi-finals. A make-shift Singaporean side went down 0-2 to Japan earlier in the day but clawed their way back to upset the much fancied Koreans 21-11, 21-15 to stay on course.

“I played Ahmad Aizat in the second set to allow him to acclimatise to the conditions in the hall,” said Abdul Talib. “We could have won fairly easier against Japan but the important thing is we have crossed our first hurdle with three points in the bag.”

Two-time champions Thailand, cheered on by the Mayor of NakhomPathom Municipality, Mr.EkaphanKuptawat, and an estimated 1,500 fans in this indoor stadium, had the easiest of task in their 2-0 demolition exercise of India. The Thais paraded SittipongKhamchan in tekong,introduced RangsirodSirisamutsarn as captain, andthe ever aggressive strikersThawisakThongsaiand also AnuwatChaichana.

India had Jotin Singh Ngathem(tekong), Malemnganba Singh (feeder) and AkashYumnam as strikerbut the trio were no match against the aggressiveness and accuracy of the far more experienced Thais who won 21-6 and 21-8 in 23 minutes.

In the SuperSeries opening matchtoday, the Indians lost 17-21, 9-21 to the Philippines in 35 minutes.The Philippines and India are new comers to Season 3 of the ISTAF SuperSeries Finals as replacements for Indonesia and China.

The Filipinos, however, have turned out to be the most entertaining and exciting team in the ISTAF SuperSeries Finals hereand the decision of the International SepaktakrawFederation (ISTAF) and Asia Sports Ventures (ASV) in endorsing their participation is loudlyapplauded.

Fresh from packing India off in the opening tie, ArnelIsorena (tekong), Jason Huarte (feeder) and strikers Emmanuel Escote and RheyjheyOrtouste produced one of the most entertaining acrobatic acts coupled with astute defensive strategy to shut out Myanmar 2-1 in a three-set thriller.

Myanmar, one of the toughest teams to beat when at its best form, won the first set 21-10 in 14 minutes but captain Huarte and company turned the tables on their opponents to win the next two sets 21-18 and 21-12 in 35 minutes.

“It has been an amazing day for us here,” said Philippines manager,Karen Claire Tanchanco-Caballero. “I told the players to go out and enjoy the game as we are under no pressure. When you enjoy, you are not pressured and the end results are always positive.”

In the women’s division, while the Malaysian men celebrated an expected convincing victory over Japan, the women slumped to a 2-1 defeat in their opening Group B match against Myanmarbefore ending the day with another 0-2 defeat, this time against defending champions Thailand.

The trio of NorzubaidahChe (tekong), Nor Farhana Ismail (feeder) and NurulIzzatul lost 11-21 in the first set against Myanmar but bounced back in the second to win 21-8 in just 14 minutes to force the match into a tie-breaker.

However, Myanmar regu of El Thinzar, Nan Su Myat San and Kay ZinHtut displayed nerves of steel in the deciding set as they raced to take a 9-3 lead before wrapping the tie 21-17 in under 17 minutes.

The ISTAF SuperSeries platform is created by Asia Sports Ventures, the exclusive long term global commercial and development partner of the International Sepaktakraw Federation.

INDIA AND PHILIPPINES ADD SPICE WITH GRAND ENTRANCE

India and Philippines will join a host of elite nations in the ISTAF SuperSeries Finals 2014/15 THAILAND from Oct 20-23 at the Nakhom Pathom Municipal Gymnasium near Bangkok.

Two-time overall champions Thailand will lead the challenge in the eight-team men’s division tournament which will decide the overall champion. Hot on the heels of the formidable Thais will be Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Myanmar, Japan and newcomers, Philippines and India.

 The Malaysians won silver medals in the 2011/12 and 2013/14 SuperSeries Finals while Korea and Japan picked bronze medals respectively.

India and Philippines are replacements for Indonesia and China which featured prominently in the last three circuits of ISTAF SuperSeries 2014/15 held in the cities of Nay Pi Taw (Myanmar), Malacca (Malaysia) and Wolmyeong Arena in Gunsan City (South Korea).

India’s most dominant performance was as host of ISTAF SuperSeries 2013/14 INDIA at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi where they came back from the brink of despair to defeat Singapore 3-2 in what was undoubtedly one of the most explosive matches in SuperSeries history.

In the men’s division draw for ISTAF SuperSeries 2014/15 Finals THAILAND conducted in Bangkok today, Asian and world champions Thailand are seeded No 1 and drawn into Group A with Philippines, India and Myanmar while the Malaysians, seeded No 2, are in Group B with Japan, Singapore and Korea.

The Singaporeans produced a scintillating performance in the preliminary round of ISTAF SuperSeries KOREA in April following a resounding 2-0 win over the Malaysians. It was Singapore’s first ever victory over Malaysia in 20 years and with the two nations drawn in the same group, fans can expect another round of excitement.

In the six-team women’s category, Vietnam, Japan and Korea are in Group A. Defending champions Thailand are in Group B with Malaysia and Myanmar.

The draw was jointly conducted by ISTAF Secretary-General Dato’ Abdul Halim Kader, Takraw Association of Thailand (TSA) Secretary-General TanawatPrasongcharoen, TSA Treasurer BoonchaiLorhpipat, and Asia Sports Ventures (ASV) General Manager and Head of Business, NishantSehgal.

The formation of the ISTAF SuperSeries was mooted by the Singapore-based ASV, the official commercial and developmental partner of the International Sepaktakraw Federation.

Dato’ Abdul Halim Kader said: “At the beginning of the season, it was ISTAF’s pipeline to invite India to compete in ISTAF SuperSeries 2014/15 tournaments. Due to China's potential for growth, ISTAF has given the team ample opportunities for international exposure in the earlier legs of the ISTAF SuperSeries 2014/15 tournaments.”

“Now it is time for India to step up into the international limelight for ISTAF SuperSeries Finals 2014/15 THAILAND. Given their recent accomplishment of finishing second behind champions Malaysia at the French Open, we can expect an explosive rivalry between the teams in the Finals in the province of NakhonPathom,” added Dato’ Abdul Halim.

He confirmed that the Indonesians have requested to take a back seat citing a domestic tournament which the national team will be participating in during the dates set for the final showdown.

Takraw Association of Thailand’s Lorhpipat, who is also the deputy president of the international body, said: “I wish to express our gratitude to International Sepaktakraw Federation for giving us the honour in hosting ISTAF SuperSeries 2014/2015 THAILAND.”

“We truly hope this series will set the benchmark for future host countries to emulate. With all the participating nations roaring to compete, we promise to facilitate and ensure a remarkable experience for fans and players to remember,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sehgal added that the SuperSeries is a welcome step in ASV and ISTAF’s continued efforts to further enhance and develop the sport of sepaktakraw internationally.

“The SuperSeries platform is progressing on all fronts, from one year to another and from one tournament to another,” said Sehgal. “The new format of introducing the ISTAF SuperSeries has yielded great success. This was merely created due to the demand from fans around the world clamouring to witness matches with evenly contested and equally-skilled teams.”

THE DRAW – 

Men’s 

Group A: Thailand, Philippines, India and Myanmar.
Group B – Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and Korea.

Women’s 

Group A – Vietnam, Japan and Korea.
Group B – Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar.