KUALA LUMPUR: National junior shuttler Soong Joo Ven buckled under pressure and was sent packing in the boys’s singles semi-finals of the Maybank Malaysia International Youth Under-19 championships at Stadium Juara, Bukit Kiara yesterday.

Second seed Joo Ven was erratic and error-prone in his 17-21, 13-21 loss to third seed Sitthikom Thammasin of Thailand. The Thai will face unseeded Choi Sol-kyu of South Korea in the final today.

“I’m disappointed with my performance today. I know I can do much better. I didn’t perform up to my usual standards and made too many errors in both games. My coach also agreed that it was my mental weakness that let me down,” said the 17-year-old Joo Ven.

“After reaching the final (and losing) in the Asian Junior Championships this year, expectations were high on me to win here and I think the pressure of playing in front of the home crowd got the better of me.”

Outclassed: Malaysia’s Soong Joo Ven makes a return against Sitthikom Thammasin of Thailand during their Maybank Malaysia International Youth U-19 semi-finals match at the Juara Stadium yesterday. He lost 21-17, 21-13. — GLENN GUAN/The Star

Joo Ven’s focus now will be on the World Junior Championships, which will be held in Chiba, Japan, from Oct 25-Nov 3 – just days before his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination starts on Nov 5. There was also heartbreak for Darren Issac Deva Dass-Ong Yew Sin in the boys’ doubles as they lost to Indonesia’s Hafiz Faizal-Putra Eka Rhoma. It will be an all-Indonesia final as Hafiz-Putra will face fifth seeds Arya Maulana Adiartama-Edi Subaktiar.

Chua Khek Wei-Joyce Choong Wai Chi were the only bright spots for Malaysia yesterday as they overcame compatriots Dede Ryan Philip-Erica Khoo Pei Shan 21-11, 19-21, 21-13 to book their place in the mixed doubles final.

“I think we played well. It was a tough match, especially since we know Dede and Erica well. We didn’t put too much pressure on ourselves and just tried to concentrate on our strategy. I think they were under more pressure to win,” said Khek Wei.

The duo’s final opponents will be South Korean fifth seeds Choi Sol-kyu-Chae Yoo-jung, who beat Thai’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Puttita Supajirakul 21-14, 21-16.

“They (the Koreans) are the reigning Asian junior champions, so we’re expecting a tough time. We just hope to do our best and get a win,” said 16-year-old Khek Wei.

Results

SEMI-FINALS
(Malaysians unless stated)

Men’s singles: Choi Sol-kyu (Kor) bt Ng Ka Long (Hkg) 22-20, 21-12; Sitthikom Thammasin (Tha) bt Soong Joo Ven 21-17, 21-13.

Men’s doubles: Arya Maulana Adiartama- Edi Subaktiar (Ina) bt Lee Chung Hei-Ng Ka Long (Hkg) 21-18, 21-18; Hafiz Faizal-Putra Eka Rhoma (Ina) bt Darren Issac Deva Dass-Ong Yew Sin 21-19, 18-21, 21-19.

Women’s singles: Lee Min-ji (Kor) bt Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) 21-10, 21-16; Kim Hyo-min (Kor) bt Liang Xiaoyu (Sin) 21-16, 21-10.

Women’s doubles: Chae Yoo-jung-Kim Ji-won (Kor) bt Ni Ketut Mahadevi-Ila Alvionitasari Putri (Ina) 21-14, 21-10; Lee Sun-min-Shin Seungchan (Kor) bt Lya Ersalita-Ruselli Hartawan (Ina) 21-10, 21-11.

Mixed doubles: Chua Khek Wei-Joyce Choong Wai Chi bt Dede Ryan Philip-Erica Khoo Pei Shan 21-11, 19-21, 21-13; Choi Sol-kyu-Chae Yoojung (Kor) bt Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Puttita Supajirakul (Tha) 21-14, 21-16.

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