In form: Loh Zi Heng and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan celebrating their win with coach Hazwan Jamaluddin.
PETALING JAYA: Winning the Vietnam International Series was a fitting farewell for mixed doubles pair Loh Zi Heng and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan, who will be moving on to new partners soon.
Zi Heng and Noraqilah, the second seeds, lived up to expectations by beating Thailand’s Surasit Ariyabaraneekul and Atitaya Povanon 21-13, 14-21, 21-16 in the final in Bac Giang. The pair had earlier bagged a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in India last month.
It was a bittersweet triumph as it marked their first senior title together since they began partnering in late December last year.
As champions, they also took home a winner’s medal and a cash prize of US$450 (RM1,888.87).
National junior mixed doubles coach Hazwan Jamaluddin was pleased with their overall performance but wants both players to continue improving as they prepare for new partnerships.
“They played quite well from the first round, although at times they were a little impatient and tried to finish off rallies too quickly. But they managed to recover well.
“They were consistent overall, but when chances came their way, their shots often got caught at the net. In the decider, they were more patient and organised, which created more openings for attack,” said Hazwan when contacted.
The duo began their partnership late last year and have produced encouraging results since, including winning the Malaysian International Challenge in Perlis in May and a strong showing in Guwahati last month.
Both players are currently ranked world No. 3 in the junior mixed doubles rankings.
Noraqilah will not be taking a long break as she is set to compete in the Korean Masters in Iksan City starting tomorrow with her new partner, Loo Bing Kun.
Zi Heng, meanwhile, will team up with Nicole Tan for the Indonesian International Challenge, which begins on Nov 11.
Hazwan hopes both players can maintain their fine momentum and continue to perform well in upcoming tournaments with their new partners.
“Going forward, Noraqilah needs to be sharper at the front court to help her partner, while Zi Heng needs to strengthen his arm power,” added Hazwan.
