Sabah Girls’ Under 16 team toppled top seed and defending champion Johor 2-0 in an exciting quarterfinal tie of the 100PLUS National Inter-State Under 12 & 16 Championships at the PBNK Hall here today.
This year’s National Junior Grand Prix champion Arena Satu Samin, 16, lived up to expectation, delivering the opening match with a three-set thriller which saw the Kota Belud-born youngster winning 21-11, 20-22, 21-15 over How Shi Yun in 40 minutes.
Doubles pair of Goh Shuen Tong-Vellerry Yap had to battle in three sets against Dyvylya Saha/Go Pei Kee before confirming Sabah’s ticket into the semifinals. The Sabahan pair needed 45 minutes before sealing the game 21-16, 14-21, 21-15.
“I was pretty confident in the first game but made several mistakes in the second. I managed to calm down and get into my normal game in the third set and finally got the better of How,” said Arena Satu.
In the other tie, Kuala Lumpur put the brakes on Melaka in the Girls Under 16 as they joined the last four following a 2-1 over the latter. Prior to their quarterfinal exit, the unseeded Melaka had a good run after winning all their three group matches including against fourth seed Sabah.
Isabel Bei Yi Liau, runner-up of this year’s 100PLUS National Junior Grand Prix, delivered the opening point for Melaka with an easy 21-14, 21-10 win over Lee Yue Qi. However, Kuala Lumpur clawed back through doubles pair Wong Kha Moon-Wong Qiao Shi who got the better of P. Lenisyah to level terms for Kuala Lumpur.
In the decider, Kuala Lumpur’s Yeoh Zi Xuan was locked in a tight battle against Joane May Yin Ng but the former overcame her shaky start to finally seal the game with a 21-12, 21-19 win and put KL into the last four.
“I was a bit nervous in the early part of the game but managed to settle in and get into the game with less mistakes,” said Zi Xuan after the match.
Sabah are up against Kuala Lumpur in the first semifinal while Selangor set up a clash against Penang in the other encounter.
Meanwhile in another quarterfinal tie, doubles pair Loh Zhi Wei-Lai Zi Ying delivered the winning point and confirmed Selangor’s semifinals ticket after knocking out Pahang pair of Tan Jet Sin-Evelyn Ng Yan Ni 21-12, 21-13.
Chloe Jennifer Whittington had earlier put Selangor on the lead with a 21-11, 21-14 win over Nicole Yeo Feng Yue in just 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the Boys Under-12 semifinal encounters, Penang square off against Johor while unseeded Melaka will be looking for an upset over second seed Selangor.
The 100PLUS National Inter-State Under 12 & Under 16 Championships serve as a perfect platform for young Malaysian shuttlers to hone their skills as they work towards becoming national players and pursuing a professional career in the sport.
100PLUS is also the title sponsor for the 100PLUS National Junior Circuit (Under-12, Under-14 and Under 16).
RESULTS:
(number in bracket denotes seedings)
Girls Team Under 16 (Quarterfinals)
(4) Sabah bt (1) Johor 2-0
Kuala Lumpur bt Melaka 2-1
(3) Penang bt NS 2-1
(2) Selangor bt Pahang 2-0
Semifinals:
(4) Sabah vs Kuala Lumpur
(3) Penang vs (2) Selangor
Boys Team Under 12 (Quarterfinals)
Penang bt Kedah 2-0
Johor bt Sarawak 2-0
Melaka bt (3) Kuala Lumpur 2-0
(2) Selangor bt (1) Sabah 2-0
Semifinals:
Penang vs Johor
Melaka vs (2) Selangor
Girls Team Under 12
(1) Negeri Sembilan bt Pahang 2-0
Penang bt Terengganu 2-1
(3) Johor bt Melaka 2-1
Sabah bt Kedah 2-0
Semifinals:
(1) Negeri Sembilan vs Penang
(3) Johor vs Sabah
ENDS
