It will be an all-Malaysian final in the Mixed Doubles of the PETRONAS Malaysia Junior International Challenge 2025 as the top two seeds emerged triumphant in their respective semifinal clashes here today at the Wawasan Hall in Perlis.
But the progress of Mixed Doubles No. 1 pair Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah-Dania Sofea Zaidi and second-seeded Loh Ziheng-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan into the decider was by no means straightforward, as they confirmed their slots to the next round in contrasting fashion.While it was easy street in the early rounds for Datu Anif-Dania Sofea, they were made to work hard in their semifinals, square up against Hong Kong’s Cheng Ying Kit-Hung Ho Yan.Datu Anif-Dania Sofea, both 17 years old, took the first set 21-15 before the unranked Ying Kit-Ho Yan tightened up their game to wrest the second set 21-17. However, playing at home gave both Datu Anif and Dania Sofea the confidence to up the ante, taking the third set 21-13 as they wrapped up the match in 47 minutes.In contrast, Datu Anif-Dania Sofea’s opponents in the final tomorrow, Ziheng-Noraqilah, did not suffer much drama as they walked off easy winners over compatriots Irfan Mohd Shazmir-Nur Aina Maisarah. The unheralded Irfan-Nur Aina stood no chance against the second-seeded Ziheng-Noraqilah when the latter took just 24 minutes to chalk up the 21-11, 22-20 win and their place in the final.Incidentally, the clash between Datu Anif-Dania and Ziheng-Noraqilah will be a repeat of their Mixed Doubles final clash at the PETRONAS National Under-18 Championships earlier this year.
For Ziheng and Noraqilah, they would want to demonstrate that their victory at the event was no fluke, while for Datu Anif and Dania, they would want to show why they are the top seeds in the Junior Mixed Doubles.
