PETALING JAYA: Junior doubles shuttler Ahmad Redzuan Zulwaqqarizal put his mixed doubles heartbreak behind him to capture the boys’ doubles title at the Malaysian Junior International Challenge yesterday.
Redzuan and Isyraf Hafizin Ibrahim defeated fellow Malaysians Damien Ling-Irfan Shazmir 21-18, 21-10 in 39 minutes at Stadium Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
It was Redzuan and Isyraf’s first title together this year. Earlier, Redzuan and Teh Si Yan, the top seeds in the mixed doubles, went down 21-12, 21-18 to Irfan-Nur Aina Maisarah Hatta in the final.
Redzuan, the reigning Asian junior champion, admitted it was not easy to put the earlier defeat behind him after falling short in the mixed doubles final.
“Of course I was disappointed after losing the first final. But I reminded myself that I still had another match to play, so I didn’t want to dwell on it.
“I shifted my focus to the men’s doubles instead. I also want to thank my partner (Isyraf) because he kept encouraging me and reminded me not to think about what had already happened.
“I knew that if I stayed disappointed, I wouldn’t be able to perform in the next match. So I made sure to put those negative thoughts behind me,” he said.
Malaysia also had reason to celebrate in the boys’ singles after Tiew Wei Jie pulled off an upset by defeating Thailand’s second seed Punnatat Prempunpong 21-16, 21-11.
The Banting-born shuttler admitted his thorough preparations, which included studying Prempunpong’s playing style, paid off as he secured victory over the Thai.
“This is my first title of the year. At the start of the tournament, I didn’t set myself a high target,” said Wei Jie.
“I just wanted to take it one match at a time, but once I reached the final, I really wanted to win.
“I had studied his game beforehand, and I was able to put what I had learned into practice during the match.
However, Malaysia’s hopes of winning another title was dashed after girls’ doubles pair Rachel Tan-Teh Xin Ying lost 15-21, 12-21 to Thailand’s Chantharat Marndakul-Pearploy Suttiwarayanon in 47 minutes.
