Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah-Dania Sofea Zaid will be out to deliver an upset in the final of the Mixed Doubles of the PETRONAS National U18 Championships 2024 tomorrow at the Kedah BA Badminton Hall in Alor Star.
The Sabah-Johor pair who have been making inroads since the end of last year, booked their place in the final after shutting down the challenge of No. 2 seed Lok Hong Quan-Clarissa San Yee Wen in a duel that lasted a good 55 minutes.
The unheralded Datu Anif-Dania had taken the first set 21-16 before the pair from BAM grabbed the second set 21-10.
However, Datu Anif-Dania showed that their several victories in the earlier rounds were not results of a fluke when they took the third set 21-19 to book their place in the final tomorrow.
Awaiting Datu Anif-Dania for the decisive battle for the title tomorrow would be another pair from BAM in Goh Yi Qin-Maisarah Ramdan.
The ranked 3rd/4th duo seemed to be in tandem as far as their gameplay was concerned where they hardly took more than half an hour to dispose their opponents in the earlier rounds.
And in the semifinals, Yi Qin-Maisarah once again showed their prowess to overcome the challenge of Ooi Yi Ping-Tania Nair Navin Kumar from Johor 22-20, 21-12 in 26 minutes.
The final of the Men’s Doubles will see unfancied pair Wan Abdul Latif Hakimi Wan Abdul Khalid-Yusnunle Muhamad Dennes from Kelantan in the running for the crown.
This after the ranked 9th/16th duo dumped top seed Toh E Hern-Wee Yee Tern from BAM 21-17, 21-18 in 40 minutes.
Their opponent in the final is another 9th/16th ranked pair of Heng Zi Hin-Damien Ling Tang Le.
However, Zi Hin-Damien from BAM had an easier passage to the final when their opponent Goh Yi Qin-Lok Hong Quan – ranked 3rd/4th from BAM – retired in the second set of their semifinal clash.
Zi Hin-Damien won the first set 21-11.
In the meantime, Ong Xin Yee will be playing in two finals – Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles.
The No. 1 seed in the Women’s Singles made the final after beating ranked 5th/8th Dania Sofea Zaidi 21-9, 21-7 in the semifinals.
In the Women’s Doubles, Xin Yee alongside partner Lim Zhi Shin beat Loo Wan Zhen-Xin Ru Ong 21-13, 21-10 to get a shot at the title.
