The top two seeds from Malaysia made their emphatic entrance into the quarterfinals of the Mixed Doubles PETRONAS Malaysia Junior International Challenge 2025 following the culmination of the Round of 16 here at the Wawasan Hall in Perlis.
Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah and Dania Sofea Zaidi, from Sabah and Johor respectively, justified their top seeding by winning both their matches thus far in straight sets.
Datu Anif-Dania stormed into the quarterfinals of the Mixed Doubles with a 21-11, 26-24 win over Indonesia’s Theodorus Steve Kurniawan-Leonora Keyla Frandrica from Indonesia.
The pair of 17-year-olds, who joined the BA of Malaysia (BAM) stable earlier this year, started their Round of 32 campaign yesterday with a 21-11, 21-11 victory over compatriots Haris Muhamad Adam-Giovanna Koay.
And tomorrow, Datu Anif-Dania will take on another Malaysian pair in Isyraf Hafizin-Rachel Tan.
In the meantime, second seeded Loh Ziheng and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan were not too far behind as they confirmed their slots in the final eight.
Ziheng-Noraqilah, winner of this year’s National Under-18 Championships, took just 19 minutes to confirm their places in the quarterfinals with a 21-7, 21-11 victory over Malaysians Mohamad Luqman Hakim Yusof Daneel and Christine Lam.
Ziheng, from Kedah and Noraqilah from Melaka, had initiated their Mixed Doubles campaign yesterday with a dominant display over Albee Loh and Auni Fatihin Azuan.
It took just 20 minutes for Ziheng-Noraqilah to record their 21-9, 21-8 win in the Round of 32.
Tomorrow, Ziheng-Noraqilah will face sixth seeded Hong Kong pair Cheung Sai Shing-Chu Wing Chi.
Malaysia will also have two other Malaysian pairs in the quarterfinals of the Mixed Doubles – Ethan Oh and Genevie Lim, and Irfan Mohd Shazmir and Nur Aina Maisarah.
Ethan Oh-Genevie will take on Cheng Ying Kit-Hung Ho Yan from Hong Kong, while Irfan-Nur Aina will have to produce their best to play fourth seeded Saeheng siblings – Tonkid and Tonrug.
ENDS
