Today's Edition
AL AIN (ALETIHAD)
Promising Finnish shuttler Joakim Oldorff’s calm and composed demeanour on the court not only win him his first Super100 men’s singles title at Al Ain Masters, but also the hearts of many fans.
With the same politeness, he obliged his young fans with photographs and autographs at the Khalifa bin Zayed Hall of Al Ain Club. However, he also describes himself as “competitive”.
“I think my competitiveness and politeness describe me. I like to be respectful with everyone – I want to treat people the way I want them to treat me. It’s my second tournament in Abu Dhabi, I’m honoured to see such a crowd cheering for me.”
At 22, Oldorff has produced impressive results, motivating and guiding his performances all by himself. In the final, he came from a game down to beat Malaysia’s independent shuttler Aidil Sholeh 14-21, 21-17, 21-7.
“It’s not always easy to be without a coach, but I keep in touch with mine [Anu Nieminen] every day about matches and strategies. But I also feel that you learn a lot when you are on your own on the court – you must be mentally aware of what’s happening because no one is telling you,” said Oldorff, whose first international title was the Welsh International in 2023.
“This event was special – I have been better at handling things than before without a coach, especially mentally. I just try to keep doing the right things and strictly focus on my game plan – that helps me rather than focusing on my emotions,” said the European Championships Junior and Senior bronze medallist on how he maintained his focus in the match.
While his next goal is to perform well at the Arctic Open at home, he also wants to become a better person in every way. “I want to be better not just in badminton but in every way. Playing the Olympics is the ultimate goal in badminton,” said the promising star, who also trains and plays a few weeks each year in Denmark.
Valishetty shows mental fortitudeEighteen-year-old Shriyanshi Valishetty produced an inspiring performance to beat compatriot Tasnim Mir 15-21, 22-20, 21-7 in a 49-minute women’s singles final. Both players started the match at a slow pace before engaging in some intriguing battles. Mir couldn’t capitalise on her first-game advantage and lost her way with several unforced errors.
“This win was very important for me. I just wanted to give my best. This year I had very bad losses, especially in finals. That’s why I have been talking to my psychologist [Aashna Sundesha] every day.
“Today, I was not nervous, but I tend to get too hyped up before matches and make mistakes. I tried to stay calm in the match today,” said Valishetty, who has been training at the Gopichand Academy since 2013 and aims to improve her rankings.
Double Trouble
Seasoned stars and sisters Gabrielle and Stefani Stoeva lived up to their billing, winning their fifth doubles title of the season. They produced a clinical performance to beat juniors Yan Fei Chen and Liang Ching Sun from Chinese Taipei 21-8, 21-13 for the women’s gold.
In the mixed doubles and men’s doubles, a change in partners was never an issue for players. India’s Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun defeated Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin in straight sets 21-17, 21-18 for their first BWF Super100 title as a pair.
“This is a new partnership for me. This is just the third tournament for us, so winning a title in just our third appearance means a lot to me. Personally, I’ve had two years of injury, and then coming back to win feels amazing,” said Arjun, part of India’s gold medal-winning team at the 2022 Thomas Cup in Bangkok.
Earlier, Indonesia’s newly-paired Dejan Ferdinansyah and Bernadine Anindiya defeated Wardana Marwan Faza and Aisyah Salsabila Putri Pranata 21-12, 21-16 for their first title together just two months into their partnership.
