# Zii Jia marches into the men’s singles semi-finals
# Teng Jie-Ee Wei make the last four in mixed doubles
# End of the road for Jun Hao-Zi Heng in men’s doubles
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By Rizal Abdullah
There is still some cheer for Malaysia in the BWF World Junior championships (individual events) despite the failure of Goh Jin Wei to retain her women’s singles title in Bilbao, Spain.
On Friday men’s singles hope and No 2 seed Lee Zii Jia and mixed doubles pair of Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei reached the semi-finals after some inspiring performance in the quarter-finals.
Zii Jia outplayed French hope Toma Junior Popov 21-12, 21-18 in 33 minutes to earn a semi-final berth against Indonesia’s 14th seed Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.
The Indonesian continued his brilliant run in Bilbao when he sent out Singapore’s eighth seed Ryan Ng Zin Rei with a 21-18, 21-14 win 37 minutes.
The other semi-final will see top seed Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand battled against China’s Sun Feixiang. The Thai swept to a 21-11, 21-9 win over Korea’s unseeded Woo Seung-hoon in 32 minutes while the Chinese fifth seed beat Japan’s ninth seed Koki Watanabe 21-17, 21-11.
Reaching the semi-finals in the mixed doubles is a big achievement for the young Malaysian pair. Ee Wei, who is only 16 and playing in her first world junior meet was left in tears to have reached the last four.
She thanked Tang Jie for his constant encouragement on the court to sooth her nerves as she made numerous mistakes that.
The Malaysians, seeded No 16, came through a tough match before prevailing 13-21, 21-12, 21-19 against India’s unseeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Kuhoo Garg.
“I thankful and grateful for my partner (Tang Jie) for his encouragement on the court. It gave me a lot of motivation. To have come this far is certainly beyond my dreams,” said Ee Wei.
The Malaysians, however, will have to be at their best for a place in the final as they face China’s No 1 seeds and hot favourites He Jiting-Du Yeu. The Chinese whipped Indonesia’s Amri Syahynawi-Vania Arianti Sukoco 21-11, 21-11 in 31 minutes.
Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy-Apriani Rahayu, the No 2 seeds and bronze medal winners in Lima, Peru last year, failed to make the last four after they were shocked by unseeded Koreans Park Kyung-hoon-Kim Hye-jeong 21-18, 15-21, 21-14 in a 58 minute thriller.
Malaysia’s campaign in the men’s doubles ended with the defeat of Leong Jun Hao-Ooi Zi Heng. The sixth seeds lost to top seeds Han Chengkai-Zhou Haodong of China in straight sets 8-21, 10-21 in only 22 minutes.
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QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles
Kantaphon Wangcharoen (Tha) beat Woo Seung Hoon (Kor) 21-11, 21-9
Sun Feixiang (Chn) beat Koki Watanabe (Jpn) 21-17, 21-11
Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo (Ina) beat Ryan Ng Zin Rei (Sin) 21-18, 21-14
Lee Zii Jia (Mas) beat Toma Junior Popov (Fra) 21-12, 21-18
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Men’s doubles
Han Chengkai-Zhou Haodong (Chn) beat Leong Jun Hao-Ooi Zi Heng (Mas) 21-8, 21-10
Fan Qiuyue-Ren Xiangyu (Chn) beat Andika Ramadiansyah-Rinov Rivaldy (Ina) 21-18, 21-17
Pakin Kuna-Anuvit-Natthapat Trinkajee (Tha) beat Thom Gicquel-Tom Junior Popov (Fra) 21-19, 21-13
Lee Hong-su-Lim Su-min (Kor) beat He Jiting-Tan Qiang (Chn) 14-21, 21-16, 21-19
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Women’s singles
Natsuki Oie (Jpn) beat Gao Fangjie (Chn) 22-20, 21-18
Kim Ga Eun (Kor) beat Cai Yanyan (Chn) 21-17, 21-11
Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) beat Yeo Jia Min (Sin) 21-11, 21-11
Chen Yufei (Chn) beat Han Yue (Chn) 21-16, 21-15
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Women’s doubles
Da Yue-Xu Ya (Chn) beat Minami Kawashima-Natsumi Uesugi (Jpn) 21-18, 21-17
Yulfira Barkah-Jauza Fadhila Sugiarto (Ina) beat Seong Ah-yeong-Seong Na-yeong (Kor) 18-21, 21-16, 22-20
Kim Ga-eun-Kim Hyang-im (Kor) beat Ng Tsz Yau-Yeung Nga Ting (Hkg) 21-17, 21-17
Sayaka Hobara-Nami Matsuyama (Jpn) beat Natsumi Oda-Natsuki Sone (Jpn) 19-21, 21-15, 21-16
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Mixed doubles
He Jiting-Du Yue (Chn) beat Amri Syahnawi-Vania Arianti Sukoco (Ina) 21-11, 21-11
Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (Mas) beat Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Kuhoo Garg (Ind) 13-21, 21-12, 21-19
Zhou Haodong-Hu Yuxiang (Chn) beat Hiroki Okamura-Nami Matsuyama (Jpn) 21-14, 19-21, 22-20
Park Kyung-hoon-Kim Hye-jeong (Kor) beat Rinov Rivaldy-Apriani Rahayu (Ina) 21-18, 15-21, 21-14
