Perak stormed into the quarterfinals of the 100PLUS National Interstate Under 12 & 16 Team Championships 2024 when they beat defending champions Penang to win Group A of the Girls’ U16 team here at the Penang Badminton Association (PBA) Hall.
As expected, a keen battle was on the cards and Nur Aina Maisarah Muhammad Hatta was not taking any chances when the SMK Sri Intan lass gave Perak the first point in the Girls’ Singles.
The 16-year-old triumphed over Amber Eng Qi Jing with a close 21-19, 21-18 in just over half an hour.
But Penang did not give up when they drew level on points through the Girls’ Doubles duo Lee Joinne-Chermaine Goh Wen Xuan.
Joinne-Chermaine outplayed Perak’s G. Anusha-Loh Hui Yien 21-9, 21-13 to set the decisive clash in the second Girls’ Singles.
And 15-year-old Mun Lee did not disappoint when she fended off the challenge from Giovanna Koay Yi Shyuan 23-21, 21-17 to give Perak the final crucial point in the matchups.
The win gave Perak their win of Group A while host Penang could not make the cut to the next round when Sabah outpointed them.
In the meantime, Johor confirmed their slot in the quarterfinals with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Pahang in their final game of Group B.
Led by the youngest ever player to feature in the final of the recent World Junior Championships 2024 in China, Low Zi Yu started the afternoon on a positive note with a straight set 21-8, 21-12 win in the Girls’ Singles over Chong Wan Xin in just under half an hour.
The Girls’ Doubles pair of Chen Siew Siew-How Yin Xuan then delivered the second point for the side that had finished as runners-up last year when they sidestepped N. Mishaliny-R. Vanshikapriya 21-15, 21-18.
Johor was not about to slip in the second Girls’ Singles with Auni Fatihin Azuan getting the better of Mirza Batrisyia Aghnia Nazri 19-21, 25-23, 21-10.
The result saw Johor taking Group B with Pahang joining them in tomorrow morning’s quarterfinals.
The rest of the quarterfinalists are Selangor and Sarawak, who were the Group C winners and runners-up, respectively.
Kuala Lumpur and Kedah completed the cast for the next round.
