Zi Yu keeps double-title bid firmly on track

KUALA LUMPUR: Low Zi Yu remains on track to secure a double-title victory at the World Junior Championships in Cairo. On Wednesday, the 16-year-old Malaysian sensation first teamed up with Ahmad Redzuan Zulwaqqarizal to eliminate Brazil's Klecivan Silva-Laura Roviezzo 15-7, 15-3 in just 14 minutes. Zi Yu's top seeds and reigning Asian junior champions will now face Americans Zicheng Xu-Jasmine Yeung.

Later, Zi Yu paired with Genevie Lim, and the duo delivered an even more dominant performance, defeating Hungary's Eliza Liang-Jana Weissenbach 15-3, 15-3 in 15 minutes. This girls doubles campaign holds extra significance for Zi Yu, who has finished second in the event for the past two years, taking silver in 2024 alongside Dania Sofea Zaidi and again placing second last year with Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan.

Malaysia also demonstrated a flawless run in the mixed doubles, with all four combinations advancing to the next round. An impressive upset came from Yusuf Iqbal-Leong Hwee Ling, who swiftly eliminated fourth seeds Filip Titěra-Amélie Maixnerová of the Czech Republic 15-10, 15-11 in just 17 minutes. Their path now leads to a challenging last-32 match against China's Yi Chen Tu-Si Chen Shi.

Similarly, Khairul Azlan Khashah-Nur Aina Maisarah brushed aside Australia's Ben Rambaud-Yanxi Liu 15-4, 15-7 and will face China's Feng Yi Lang-Li Meng Han next, promising another tough challenge. Irfan Shazmir-Genevie, the 22nd seeds, put up a tougher fight before overcoming Indonesia's Moses Andar Simanjuntak-Reya Azzahra Yulianti 15-11, 9-15, 15-11, and they will next encounter Hong Kong's 13th seeds Cheng Ying Kit-Au-Yeung Wing Chi.

In the girls doubles, 13th seeds Rachel Tan-Teh Xin Ying also advanced by defeating Hwee Ling-Teoh Min Yi 15-10, 15-10, securing a spot in the last-32.