Sabah’s Samin Arena Satu – hailed as one of the bright spark in badminton – got off to a roaring start in the 100PLUS National Junior Circuit Grand Grand Prix Finals in Seremban on Wednesday.
Winner of the first and second-legs in earlier this year, Samin won her opening Group D match in the Under-16 category with an easy 21-14, 21-12 win in 28 minutes over BAM’s Chew Jia Wern.
The talented Samin who won the first-leg in Kuantan in March repeated her feat in the second-leg held in Kota Kinabalu in May.
There was more to celebrate when her teammate Velerry Yap Ka Ying also notched a win in her Group G match against Kuala Lumpur’s Lee Yue Qi in three games – 11-21, 21-13, 21-18.
In another Group G encounter, BAM’s Isabel Liau Bei Yi outplayed Kedah’s Cheng Su Yin 21-9, 21-10.
Kuala Lumpur’s Odelia Wong Qiao Shi, one of the early favorites for the Grand Prix title in Seremban, was also impressive in her 22-20, 21-12 defeat of BAM’s Erika Vallensia in her opening Group C match.
In Group A’s opening match Go Pei Kee of BAM needed only 27 minutes to snatch a 21-13, 21-16 win over Penang’s Lim Sze Jin while Lim Qi Ning of Selangor outplayed BAM’s Joanne Ng May Yin 21-15, 21-18 in a Group B match.
In the Boys’ Under-16 singles Sabah’s Demond Anthony Samin was too strong for BAM’s Chia Jeng Hon for a 21-14, 21-18 victory in the four-man Group H which also saw Selangor’s Yap Juin An coming off 24-22, 21-15 winner over Terengganu’s Mat Desa Shahrul.
Penang’s Samuel Lee the winner of the second-leg was taken the full distance before prevailing 21-13, 20-22, 21-6 against Daryl Foo Kit Hann of BAM (Group B) while Samuel’s teammate Teh Jin Hong scored a come-from-behind 17-21, 21-19, 21-14 win over another BAM player Atef Haikal Mohd Taufik in Group A.
Johor’s hope Muhammad Affen Atabek, winner of the first-leg fell to a surprise 14-21, 12-21 defeat to Ng Yaw Pin (BAM) in a Group D match while Selangor’s hope Jimmy Wong won his opening Group C match against Muhammad Haikal Nazri (BAM) 21-17, 21-15. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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