PETALING JAYA: Ahmad Redzuan Zulwaqqarizal-Low Zi Yu have a chance to end Malaysia’s 16-year wait for a mixed doubles finalist at today’s Asian Junior Championships in Yatsushiro, Japan.
The pair have assured Malaysia of at least a bronze medal after battling back to beat Indonesia’s Moses Simanjuntak-Reya Yulianti 19-21, 21-15, 21-9 in the quarter-finals yesterday.
The last Malaysian mixed doubles pair to win a medal at the championships were Ow Yaw Han-Lai Pei Jing, who claimed silver when Kuala Lumpur hosted the tournament in 2010.
Team manager Datuk Dr Wan Khalik Wan Mohamad believes Redzuan-Zi Yu have what it takes to go one step further when they face Taiwan’s Lin Sheng-ming-Sun Liang-ching for a place in the final.
“Redzuan lost his focus midway through the match against the Indonesians, but he managed to regain his rhythm and adapted well alongside Low Zi Yu to seal the win. That showed the maturity they have in dealing with difficult situations on court,” said Khalik.
Malaysia also have another chance to upgrade their bronze medal through Zi Yu, who will return to the court with Genevie Lim in the girls’ doubles semi-finals against Japan’s second seeds Aoi Banno-Yuzu Ueno.
The scratch partnership has exceeded expectations after the duo, who were paired together specifically for this tournament, produced an impressive 21-18, 21-11 victory over Indonesia’s Atresia Candiani-Aurelia Putri in the quarter-finals.
For Zi Yu, the guaranteed bronze also makes amends for last year’s disappointment when she bowed out in the quarter-finals alongside Dania Sofea Zaidi.
“As for Genevie Lim and Low Zi Yu, I’m satisfied with their performance. Although they were paired together specifically for the Asian Junior Championships, they showed good understanding, complemented each other well and executed the game plan effectively.
“Based on today’s (yesterday) performance, I believe both pairs have what it takes to reach the final.
“However, the semi-finals will be much tougher. Our focus now is to ensure the players recover well, prepare thoroughly and maintain their best form when they take to the court,” added Khalik.
