PETALING JAYA: Youngsters Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan have the pedigree to take over from their seniors Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah in future based on their rapid rise as a pair.
It is the decision of lanky Zi Yu, who will turn 16 in August, to train full-time this year at Badminton Academy of Malaysia (ABM) that has made the difference, as she and partner Noraqilah impressed in their Uber Cup Finals debut.
Last year, Zi Yu travelled from Segamat regularly for selected centralised training before major events due to previous health concerns that required close family monitoring.
On Monday at the Forum Horsens in Denmark, Zi Yu and the 18-year-old Noraqilah turned heads in the final Group B tie against Japan when they shocked world No. 7 Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi 21-17, 12-21, 21-19 in a thrilling 64-minute match.
Malaysia lost 1-4 after all the others – K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, M. Thinaah-Ong Xin Yee and Goh Jin Wei – went down in their respective matches.
For Jin Wei, it was a painful defeat as she retired at 3-4 in the second game against Riko Gunji after winning the opening game 21-19.
National doubles head coach Rosman Razak, who paired up Zi Yu and Noraqilah, was pleased with the duo’s progress.
“I’m happy to see these juniors improving every day and hope they can continue to train hard and believe that they can become the world’s best players,” said Rosman.
“I just want them to stay humble and follow the process set by BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) and coaches ... the journey is still long.”
Rosman is also pleased to have Zi Yu, two-time world junior silver medal winner (with Dania Sofea Zaidi in 2024 and Noraqilah in 2025) training full-time.
“Zi Yu joined the senior squad last year (part-time) but only early this year, she decided to stay at ABM full-time,” he said.
“So, it was easier for me to draft the programme for both of them as they train together now.
“I want to thank BAM and Zi Yu’s parents for making the transfer process simple and smooth.
“It’s good to see the petite Noraqilah showing aggression at the front court and Zi Yu combining well with her crafty skills.”
Meanwhile, a delighted Noraqilah said they had played without pressure.
“This is a good experience against those who are top 10 pairs in the world,” said Noraqilah.
“Zi Yu and I have learnt a lot from our Japanese opponents especially on serving up quality shots.
“We still have so much to improve as we made quite a bit of errors too.”
Malaysia and Japan have made it to the quarter-finals, and they will know who their opponents are after the draw today.
