It is Sabah’s turn to show their mettle in Division 1 of the Under-16 100PLUS National Junior Circuit 2020 when three of their shuttlers made the cut for the finals of Round 1 tomorrow.
Following the rounds of semifinal matches this morning, Daniel Edry Elvestly in the U16 boys’ singles stole the limelight when he dumped second seed Muhd ​​Ariffin Nazri Md Zakaria of Johor to book his place in the final tomorrow.
But it was no means plain sailing for the 3 / 4 seed Daniel when he failed to read Ariffin’s movement in the first set to concede to a 16-21 defeat.
However, the Kota Marudu-born player remained focused and calm throughout the game and this proved to be pivotal as Daniel won the next two sets 21-17, 21-14 for the win.
“At the beginning of the first set I failed to play according to the momentum but in the second set I just followed the opponent’s game and waited for him to make a mistake.
“My confidence is on the up after this win and of course I want victory tomorrow,” Daniel said.
Awaiting Daniel in the final is Johor’s Wee Yee Hern, who was also forced into a three-set battle by Kedah’s Lim Jhian Meng before winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-19.
In the U16 girls’ singles, Goh Shuen Tong inched closer to her title aspiration when she booked her place in the final by beating Gan Wan Yan of Penang by 21-13, 24-22.
“My opponent did not focus early in the first set and made a lot of mistakes but in the second set she (Wan Yan) played more aggressively but I managed to control the game and win,” said Shuen Tong
Shuen Tong will face Selangor’s Sik Xiao Hui in tomorrow’s final following the latter’s 22-20, 21-17 win over Johor’s Ler Yee Huey.
Shuen Tong also excelled in the U16 girls’ doubles where alongside partner Cassey Rynn Rompog, they overcame top seed Ley Yee Huey-Teoh Ju Kee from Johor in straight sets 21-11, 21-18.
In the final, Shuen Tong-Cassey Rynn will face second seed Sik Xiao Hui-Wong Zhi Yi from Selangor who beat Sabah’s Nur Adela Nadia Ali-Clay Shervina Joinis 21-12, 21-14.
“We know our opponents well, so it was not too hard win points and secure victory over the Sabah pair.
“For the final, we do not want to be too confident as we have lost to them (Sik Xiao Hui-Wong Zhi Yi) in other tournaments before. So this is an opportunity for us to take revenge,” Cassey said.
In the finals of Division 2 in Kuantan, there were several surprises in store in the U16 division.
Second seeded Chew Tze Teng of Negeri Sembilan emerged first round champions in the U16 girls’ after beating top seed Amanda Yap Hwa Leng from Kuala Lumpur in a keenly fought battle to win 21-14, 11-21, 22-20.
However, the loss for Amanda was even out by team-mate Ting Wen Xuan, who lived up to his ranking as the boys’ singles No. 1 seed to triumph over second seeded King Kiem Hwa of Perak to win in straight set 21-15, 21-16.
But Amanda did not return home empty handed as she went on to take the title in the U16 girls’ doubles.
Alongside partner Tai Jo Yi, Amanda stuttered somewhat in the first set before the pair got their act together to win 16-21, 21-18, 21-18 over Perak’s Aneesa Soofiyah Roslan-Gobi Vannee.
It was another three-set battle in the boys’ doubles before Tan Shi Ling-Ting Wen Xuan of Kuala Lumpur were able to take the title following their hard fought 18-21, 21-14, 21-19 victory over Malacca’s Mahazain Amani Aman Nazri-Soh Ping Chuan.
In Putrajaya for the Division 3 finals, top seed Goo Vie Keat justified his ranking by winning the U16 boys’ singles by beating Putrajaya’s Segaran Pugalventhan 21-18, 21-11.
Sarawak’s Audrey Vanessa Chee secured the U16 girls’ singles title as the top seed with an easy 21-17, 21-11 over teammate Lee Zi Suen.
But there was a surprise in the boys’ doubles when Ashley Chua Kai Quan-Jeremy Juan Zhen Liang from Sarawak created an upset for the second time this week.
After eliminating the top seed, Ashley and Jeremy beat second seeded pair Lakamagi Latief Mahyudin-Muhd Zharif Aniq Shahrul Annuar from Perlis to win in straight set 21-15, 21-10 for the crown.
Sarawak continued to serve further upset when they took the title in the U16 girls’ doubles after Audrey Vanessa Chee-Brenda Lai Qian Tung held on to beat Terengganu’s Nur Fatin Ezzaty Mohd Kamal Razaman-Izzati Faqehah Razali 21-15, 18-21, 21-17.
