Latest news with #AsianJuniors
The Star
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Aina won't let tender years stop her from big aims
PETALING JAYA: Nur Aina Maisarah Hatta is one of the youngest shuttlers in the Malaysian team headed to the Asian Junior Championships which starts on Friday in Solo, Indonesia, but she is not letting that stop her from aiming big in the tourney. The 15-year-old, who is set to compete in both the girls' doubles and mixed doubles with Nuraqilah Maisarah Ramdan and Irfan Shazmir respectively, is out to win a medal in her debut Asian meet. Aina and Nuraqilah only combined in April but did not take long to impress by finishing runners-up to teammates and last year's World Junior Championships silver medallists Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu in the Slovak Open in May. While all attention has been on Dania-Zi Yu, Aina and the 18-year-old Nuraqilah have gone under the radar but this suits them just fine as they look to produce a good show in Solo. 'I'm one of the youngest in the Asian Juniors team but I want to prove myself by doing well,' said Aina, after a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday. 'I know that expectations are higher on Dania-Zi Yu as they are our top girls' doubles pair and the pressure is less on me and Nuraqilah. 'We will use this as an advantage. We want to show that we can step up too. We want to go as far as possible and try to win a medal.' Meanwhile, Nuraqilah, who has been chosen as the team captain along with Datu Anif Isaac, is ready to shoulder the responsibility to support her teammates and guide her younger partner in the tourney. 'I know I have more responsibilities as I'm older than Aina and need to guide her. I was also surprised to be chosen as team captain. I hope to justify the coaches' selection,' said Nuraqilah. 'The coaches decided to combine me and Aina to see if we could play well together. The Slovak Open was only our second tournament together, so we didn't expect to reach the final. 'Both of us are fast on court, so we could match each other's rhythm and gel well. 'We discuss a lot on where to improve on and our understanding is getting better.''
The Star
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Dania-Zi Yu get timely boost for Asian meet after winning in Kangar
Dynamic duo: Dania Sofea (left) and Low Zi Yu. — BAM PETALING JAYA: A title win at the Malaysian Junior International Challenge has given Dania Sofea Zaidi and Low Zi Yu the perfect boost ahead of the Asian Junior Championships in Solo, Indonesia from July 18-27. The win was especially meaningful for Dania, who had earlier fallen short in the mixed doubles final with Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah despite going in as the top seeds in Kangar, Perlis yesterday. Dania-Datu lost 22-20, 15-21, 12-21 to compatriots Loh Zi Heng-Noraqilah Maisarah in a 54-minute duel. But the Johor-born shuttler made amends in the girls' doubles final when she and Zi Yu outplayed Thailand's Khanaphon Deearom-Thanaphon Deearom 21-11, 21-19 to lift the title. 'I just gave my best. Of course, there's pressure going into the Asian Juniors because the coaches are expecting Zi Yu and I to deliver, especially after we finished runners-up at the World Junior Championships last year. But I'm embracing the pressure,' said Dania. Top seeds Loh Zi Heng-Tan Zhi Yang failed to add more titles for Malaysia when they fell to Indonesia's Alexius Subagio-Aquino Tangka 21-18, 19-21, 20-22 in the boys' doubles final. All eyes will now be on Dania in Solo, where she will play in the girls', mixed doubles and mixed team events. Dania-Zi Yu have been seeded second in the girls' doubles, while Dania-Datu will also go in as the second seeds in the mixed doubles. In the team event, Malaysia have been seeded sixth behind Thailand, India, Indonesia, China and Taiwan. FINAL RESULTS Boys' singles: Tonrug Saeheng (Tha) bt Ip Sum Yau (Hkg) 21-18, 15-21, 21-17. Boys' doubles: Alexius Subagio-Aquino Tangka (Ina) bt Loh Zi Heng-Tan Zhi Ying (Mas) 21-18, 19-21, 20-22. Girls' singles: Lam Ka To (Hkg) bt radith Bayu Wardhana (Ina) 21-8, 21-9. Girls' doubles: Low Zi Yu-Dania Sofea Zaidi (Mas) bt Khanaphon Deearom-Thanaphon Deearom (Tha) 21-11, 21-19. Mixed doubles: Loh Zi Heng-Noraqilah Maisarah bt Datu Anif Datu Asrah-Dania Sofea Zaidi 20-22, 21-15, 21-12.
The Star
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Dania-Zi Yu get timely boost for Asian meet after smashing show in Kangar
Solid girls: Shuttlers Dania Sofea Zaidi and Low Zi Yu win at the Malaysia Junior International Challenge. PETALING JAYA: A title win at the Malaysian Junior International Challenge has given Dania Sofea Zaidi and Low Zi Yu the perfect boost ahead of the Asian Junior Championships in Solo, Indonesia from July 18-27. The win was especially meaningful for Dania, who had earlier fallen short in the mixed doubles final with Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah despite going in as the top seeds in Kangar, Perlis yesterday. Dania-Datu were beaten by compatriots Loh Zi Heng-Noraqilah Maisarah 22-20, 15-21, 12-21 in a 54-minute duel. But the Johor-born shuttler made amends in the girls' doubles final when she and Zi Yu outplayed Thailand's Khanaphon Deearom-Thanaphon Deearom 21-11, 21-19 to lift the title. "I just gave my best. Of course, there's pressure going into the Asian Juniors because the coaches are expecting Zi Yu and I to deliver, especially after we finished runners-up at the World Junior Championships last year. But I'm embracing the pressure,' said Dania. Top seeds Loh Zi Heng-Tan Zhi Yang failed to add more titles for Malaysia when they fell to Indonesia's Alexius Subagio-Aquino Tangka 21-18, 19-21, 20-22 in the boys' doubles final. All eyes will now be on Dania in Solo, where she will play in the girls', mixed doubles and mixed team events. Dania-Zi Yu have been seeded second in the girls' doubles, while Dania-Datu will also go in as the second seeds in the mixed doubles. In the team event, Malaysia have been seeded sixth behind Thailand, India, Indonesia, China and Taiwan. Boys' singles: Tonrug Saeheng (Tha) bt Ip Sum Yau (Hkg) 21-18, 15-21, 21-17. Boys' doubles: Alexius Subagio-Aquino Tangka (Ina) bt Loh Zi Heng-Tan Zhi Ying (Mas) 21-18, 19-21, 20-22. Girls' singles: Lam Ka To (Hkg) bt radith Bayu Wardhana (Ina) 21-8, 21-9. Girls' doubles: Low Zi Yu-Dania Sofea Zaidi (Mas) bt Khanaphon Deearom-Thanaphon Deearom (Tha) 21-11, 21-19. Mixed doubles: Loh Zi Heng-Noraqilah Maisarah bt Datu Anif Datu Asrah-Dania Sofea Zaidi 20-22, 21-15, 21-12.
The Star
29-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Serving aces and slicing cakes – the right balance for Ler Qi
Mixing it up: Junior women's singles shuttler Eng Ler Qi at training. PETALING JAYA: Junior shuttler Eng Ler Qi has a unique way of relaxing away from the badminton court. The reigning Under-18 national girls' singles champion loves to bake cakes and pastries in her free time. Ler Qi learnt to bake all by herself and the hobby helps her to mentally reset before returning to training. 'Usually, I like to bake some pastries and cakes to take my mind off badminton for a while,' said Ler Qi. 'I learnt to bake myself and it is a soothing hobby. I feel calmer after baking. Training every day can be tough, so it's good to have a hobby like this.' Ler Qi is currently preparing to make her debut in the Asian Junior Championships from July 18-27 in Solo, Indonesia. The 17-year-old from Selangor will join Oo Shan Zi, Lim Zhi Shin, Low Zi Yu and Lee Mun in the girls' singles. 'I'm excited about my first Asian meet and I will give my all,' said Ler Qi. 'There're about three weeks left and I'm working hard in training every day to be able to perform well in the tournament.' Ler Qi, who trains under Misbun Ramdan, gained some valuable experience after competing in a few lower tier senior European tournaments last month. Her best performance came in the Slovak Open where she reached the semi-finals. 'Playing in Europe gave me a chance to test myself in senior tournaments,' said Ler Qi. 'They were not high level events but I still gained lots of experience. My performances were not consistent, so there's room for improvement. 'I need to work on my strength and power and I'm working on these with coach Ramdan.' The youngster knows she needs to raise her game to have a chance of winning a medal in the Asian Juniors. In last year's edition, Siti Zulaikha Azmi won bronze in the girls' singles.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Hazwan is one of a kind as he mixes up his coaching role
Giving some pointers: Mixed doubles coach Hazwan Jamaluddin guiding young pair Wee Yee Hern-Chan Wen Tse. PETALING JAYA: Transitioning from coaching men's singles shuttlers to mixed doubles is hard for some people but not Hazwan Jamaluddin. Hazwan was initially worried when he was moved from the junior men's singles coaching role to the mixed doubles in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) at the end of last year. The 40-year-old though has been learning the ropes from mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto and assistant coach Lutfi Zaim and is getting used to his new position. 'I used to play in the men's singles and then I was coaching the junior shuttlers in the event,' said Hazwan. 'When I was moved to mixed doubles, I was worried at first. Thankfully, Nova made it easier for me. 'He assured me that it is not difficult and gave me pointers on managing the pairs under me. Lutfi has also been helping me a lot. 'I've learnt a lot from them. All three of us are working well together. I had to start from zero but I'm taking this as a new challenge.' Among the young pairs under Hazwan are Datu Anif Isaac-Dania Sofea Zaidi and Loh Ziheng-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan. Both pairs have been fast tracked into the senior team this year and are Malaysia's best bets for medals in the mixed doubles in the Asian Junior Championships from July 18-27 in Solo, Indonesia. Anif-Dania showed promise when they finished runners-up in the Dutch Junior International in February while Ziheng-Aqilah captured the national Under-18 title in Ipoh last week after beating their teammates in the final. 'Anif-Dania showed that the gap between them and pairs from China and Indonesia is not big when they reached the final in the Dutch Junior,' said Hazwan. 'Ziheng-Aqilah are also a promising pair and our target is for them and Anif-Dania to win medals in the Asian Juniors. 'We also keep reminding these pairs that they need to continue doing well when they move up to the senior level.'
