Duncan denied in Aussie final but duo advance in Auckland
Duncan, ranked No. 142 in the world, went down 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 in 43 minutes to Ashab (No. 62) in Adelaide.
Reaching the final was nevertheless a positive achievement for the eighth seed. The Sabahan, 22, had earlier beaten Andes Ling of Hong Kong 11-9, 11-9, 11-3 in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile at the Auckland Open, world No. 576 Low Wa Sern upset world No. 276 Jooyoung Na of South Korea 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 to reach the final. Jooyoung was a silver medallist at last year's World Junior Championships.
Wa Sern, 18, will face compatriot Harith Danial (No. 473) for the title tomorrow.
Harith, seeded 12th, came from a game down to upset New Zealand's Benjamin Ratcliffe (No. 196) 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 in 47th minutes to book his spot in the decider.
National coach Ajaz Azmat said he was impressed by the Malaysian duo's performances
"It is a big boost for Wa Sern to upset Jooyoung in preparation ahead of the World Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt (July 21-26)," said the Pakistani coach.
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