Tan Jia Wei pulled off a stunning upset when he upset Boys Under-18 defending champion Chin Wai Kin in the semi-finals in the 100PLUS National Junior Circuit Finals at the Kedah Badminton Hall (KBA) Hall in Alor Star on Friday.
In the all Bukit Jalil encounter Jia Wei came back from a set down to prevail 13-21, 21-14, 21-10 after a 45 minute battle on Court 6.
He will take on Bukit Jalil teammate Yeoh Seng Zoe in the final. Seng Zoe packed too much power to see off Lee Zii Jia (Bjss/PK) 21-16, 21-15 in his semi-final match.
In the Boys’ Under-14 Penang’s Lee Shun Yang’s brilliant run came to an end despite displaying his fighting qualities once again.
The 14-year-old student of SJKC Heng Ee Penang was again involved in a three-set thriller but “lost his focus” in the decider and fell to a 13-21, 21-19, 14-21 defeat to Bukit Jalil’s Yap Roy King in 47 minutes.
Shun Yang lost the first set to the Johor lad 13-21 but again came back strong with his fighting qualities to force a rubber with a 21-19 win in the second set. In the rubber Shun Yang led 9-3 and was in cruise control but allowed the pressure get better of him.
“This what you call self destruction in badminton,” said Shun Yang’s coach Razlan Abdullah on Shun Yang’s defeat – his second at the hands of Roy King.
“I had the game going but allowed the pressure to get the better of me in the decider after leading 9-3. I was confident of beating him this time after I lost to him during one of the legs in the in the circuit…but I simply lost focus,” said a disappointed Shun Yang.
Meanwhile Bukit Jalil’s Thinaah Muralitharan, runner-up in the Under-16 last year, marched into the Under-18 final with a 21-17, 21-15 win over Sarawak’s Kourtney Kho Ker Yin.
In the final she will meet Johor’s Yap Yee who strolled past Penang’s Kong Yi Jin in straight sets 21-11, 21-17.
Under-16 Girls singles defending champion Qi Xuan of Bukit Jali took only 22 minutes in her 21-14, 21-9 win over her Bukit Jalil teammate Pearly Tan Koong Le for a place in the final.
The Perak Open Division Two champion will play Ng Wan Win (Bjss/Sel) in the final. Wai Win beat Pearly Tan Koong Le (Bjss/KD) 21-14, 21-9 in her semi-final match.
SELECTED RESULTS (SEMI-FINALS)
BOYS
Under-18
Tan Jia Wei (Bjss/Pg) beat Chin Wai Kin (Bjss/Pk) 13-21, 21-14, 21-10
Yeoh Seng Zoe (Pg) beat Lee Zii Jia (Bjss/KD 21-16, 21-15
Under-14
Yap Roy King (Bjss/Jh) beat Lee Shun Yang (Pg) 21-13,
Muhammad Syahmi Irfan (Bjss/KD) beat Wyman Goh Wai Yap (Mal) 21-17, 22-20
GIRLS
Under-18
Thinaah Muralitharan (Bjss/Sel) beat Kourtney Kho Ker Yin (Swk) 21-17, 21-15
Yap Yee (Joh) beat Kong Yi Pin (Pg) 21-11, 21-17
Under-16
Ng Qi Xuan (Bjss/NS) beat Eoon Qi Xuan (Bjss/PK) 21-8, 21-9
Ng Wai Win (Bjss/Sel) beat Pearly Tan Koong Le (Bjss/KD) 21-14, 21-9
Under-14
Dyvylyn Saha (KL) beat Erica Hoh Ji Ling (Bjss/KL) 21-18, 17-21, 21-12
Kasturi Radhakrishnan (Sel) beat Nur Syaza Roshidi (Bjss/KD) 21-15, 21-14
