PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s junior shuttlers displayed immense grit but ultimately fell short against reigning champions China, losing 1-2 in the mixed team final at the World Junior Championships in Cairo on Saturday (Oct 10).
Entering the tie as underdogs, the national team - seeking their first title since 2011 - struggled to penetrate the formidable Chinese line-up in the opening game.
Singles players Saidatul Saadiah Mohd and Tiew Wei Jie fell 5-11 and 13-22 to Yin Yiqing and Luo Jingyu, respectively.
Genevie Lim-Low Zi Yu fell 18-33 to Shi Sichen-Wei Yueyue in the women’s doubles. Zi Yu then reentered the court partnering Ahmad Redzuan Zulwaqqarizal but even then the Chinese pair of Feng Yilang-Li Menghan got the better of them, winning 44-30.
The Chinese cleansweep was completed when men’s doubles pair Irfan Shazmir-Damien Ling lost 46-55 to Tu Yichen-Zheng Weigang.
The second game initially mirrored the first, with Saidatul losing 6-11 to Zhang Yicin and Wei Jie falling 18-22 to Hong Tianyue.
However, the Malaysian doubles pairings mounted a spirited comeback. Genevie-Zi Yu narrowly edged out Sichen-Yueyue 33-30 before Genevie paired up with Irfan Shazmir to secure a 44-36 victory over Yilang-Menghan.
Redzuan-Isyraf completed the turnaround with a hard-fought 55-53 win against Yichen-Weigang to force a decider.
Despite the momentum, the final game proved a bridge too far.
China reasserted their dominance, with Yiqing and Jingyu quickly dispatching Saidatul (11-3) and Wei Jie (22-9).
Sichen-Yueyue got their revenge by defeating Genevie-Zi Yu 33-26 before Yilang-Menghan made it two wins on the night against Redzuan-Zi Yu, with a 44-35 score this time.
Finally Yichen-Weigang completed the title defence with a 55-42 win over Irfan-Damien.
Malaysia will look to carry their momentum into the individual competition from Sunday (Oct 11).
