KUALA LUMPUR: A freak accident saw top boys’ singles shuttler Soong Joo Ven hurting his toe on Sunday.
But it did not stop him from leading the Malaysian mixed team to a sensational 3-2 upset win over fancied Indonesia in their final Group A tie of the Asian Junior Badminton Championships at the Likas Indoor Stadium in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.
Today, Malaysia will take on Japan in the quarter-finals and stand a fair chance of making the top four.
The 18-year-old Joo Ven, who was bleeding profusely after hitting a piece of wood by accident during training on the eve of their match against Indonesia, gave a valiant fight to score a 21-14, 15-21, 21-11 win over Hadmadi Firkri Ihsandi in the 61-minute match to level the score at 1-1.
Earlier, the mixed doubles pair of Chua Kheh Wei-Yap Cheng Wen went down 14-21, 14-21 to Sukamuljo Kevin Sanjaya-Mahmudin Masita in the opening match.
“The toe nail cut into my flesh after I accidentally knocked into a piece of wood. I was wearing sandals at that time. It was painful but fortunately I was able to play without any major problems,” said Joo Ven.
Indonesia however, fought back in the boys’ doubles to take the lead through Sukamuljo Kevin Sanjaya-Aldiartama Arya Maulana. The Indonesians showed no mercy in their 21-15, 21-12 win over Darren Isaac Devadass-Ong Yew Sin in just 24 minutes.
Luckily for Malaysia, the girls turned the tide for the team. Ho Yen Mei and Joyce Choong Wai Chi-Yap Cheng Wen showed great fighting spirit to win their singles and doubles matches respectively to seal the tie.
Joo Ven was happy that they checked into the quarter-finals as Group A champions.
“This means we managed to avoid Thailand, who have a well-balanced side, in the quarter-finals. Japan hold a slight edge over us but we will do our best,” said Joo Ven.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
