Sensational Young Malaysian Pair Aaron-Khai Xing Win WJC Title

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- After more than a decade of waiting, Malaysia has finally reclaimed its place atop the podium in boys’ doubles category at the World Junior Championships (WJC) 2024, thanks to a sensational victory from Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing in Nanchang, China, today.

The top seeds were crowned as the new champions after surviving a thrilling rubber set battle that lasted 65 minutes against home favourites and second seeds, Hu Ke Yuan-Lin Xiang Yi at the Nanchang International Sports Centre.

After a fiery start which saw Aaron-Khai Xing win the first game 21-18, things went south for them in the second game as they succumbed to a 15-21 loss before ultimately taking home the title with a 21-18 victory in the third set.

Nelson Heg-Teo Ee Yi were the last Malaysians to win the boys’ doubles title at the WJC during the 2011 edition held in Taoyuan, Taiwan.

The 17-year-old Aaron expressed his relief at having redeemed last year’s heartbreak, where he and his former partner, Bryan Goonting, could only secure a bronze after losing to Taiwan’s Lai Po Yu and Tsai Fu Cheng, 18-21, 21-15, 14-21, in the semi-finals.

“It feels like a dream come true (win the WJC title). We felt the pressure in the second set, but we didn’t give up, and in the end, we made it,” he said in an audio recording shared by the Badminton World Federation to the media.

Unfortunately, there was no fairy-tale ending for the national girls’ doubles pair Low Zi Yu-Dania Sofea Zaidi, as they fell short against fourth seeds from Japan Ririna Hiramoto-Aya Tamaki, 17-21, 17-21.

Despite the loss, the unseeded pair deserved a pat on their back following a gallant run in their first major tournament, including creating a huge upset over the top seeds from China, Chen Fan Shu Tian-Liu Jia Yue, 16-21, 21-16, 21-17, in the last four yesterday.

Today’s result meant Zi Yu-Dania mirror the success of Pearly Tan-Toi Ee Wei, who were runners-up in the 2018 edition in Markham, Canada.

Speaking after the match, Dania, 16, acknowledged that they struggled to keep up with their opponents, who played at a much faster pace throughout the match.

Although the 14-year-old Zi Yu felt a little sad about not bringing glory to Malaysia, she still took pride in being the youngest player to compete in the WJC.

Last week, Malaysia clinched bronze in the mixed team event as they lost to the hosts China, 76-110, in the last four.

-- BERNAMA