PETALING JAYA: National junior shuttlers enjoyed a strong outing at the second leg of the National Under-18 Championships, winning four of the five titles in Alor Setar on Saturday (Sept 19).
Irfan M. Shazmir was the most successful player after walking away with two titles.
He first combined with Damien Ling to beat Khairul Azlan Khashah-Yusuf M. Iqbal 15-9, 15-13 in 22 minutes in the men’s doubles final.
Despite winning in straight games, Shazmir said the hot and stuffy conditions at the Kedah Badminton Association (KBA) Hall made it a challenging match.
“I felt very relieved after the final shuttle secured the points for us. The court was quite hot and stuffy, but we still managed to fight until the very last point,” said Shazmir.
The Pahang-born player later returned to court with Genevie Lim to win the mixed doubles title.
Shazmir-Genevie defeated Yusuf-Teh Si Yan 15-11, 15-10 in the final, handing Yusuf his second defeat of the day.
Lim Boon Le took the men’s singles crown after fighting back to beat Chong Lee Qian 9-15, 17-15, 15-8 in 50 minutes.
Nur Aina Maisarah Hatta-Teh Si Yan also came out on top in the women’s doubles, beating Rachel Tan-Teh Xin Ying 15-11, 16-14 in 30 minutes.
The national juniors, however, missed out on a clean sweep when Sabah’s Saidatul Saadiah overcame Lee Kay Xin 7-15, 17-15, 15-8 in a 50-minute women’s singles final.
