Double joy: Mohd Ariffin Nazri Mohd Zakaria comes out top in singles and doubles for the first time.
PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Mohd Ariffin Nazri Mohd Zakaria started the season on a high note as he won both the Under-21 singles and doubles titles in the Johor Closed at the DBC Sport Arena in Pontian, Johor yesterday.
The 18-year-old Ariffin, who is the second seed, defeated Amirul Imran Azuan 21-15, 21-15 in the semi-finals to book a spot in the final where he outplayed Wee Yee Tern 21-19, 21-17 to claim the gold medal.
He then partnered his elder brother, Mohd Ashraf Daniel to beat Mohd Affan Atabek-Amirul 21-14, 21-19 in the semi-finals before going on to beat another sibling-pair Wee Yee Hern-Yee Tern 21-15, 21-19 in the men's doubles final.
Ariffin was pleased with his achievement as this is his first time winning two gold medals in the Johor meet and this has whetted his appetite for more titles.
"I feel very happy because winning both singles and doubles titles is my best achievement in the Johor Closed," said Ariffin.
"This victory is only the beginning for me as it has boosted my motivation to improve and perform better in the upcoming tournaments.
"Ariffin breathed a sigh of relief as he did not have to face Ashraf in the men’s singles final."It has been four months since he stopped singles training routines to focus on doubles," said Ariffin.
Despite winning two titles in the tournament, Ariffin will not let his guard down as he wants to be prepared for the upcoming tournaments.
"I’m not sure which championship I’ll compete in because my coach is the one who will decide.""All I have to do is focus on training and deal with all of the challenges that might come my way," he added.
Meanwhile, Lim Shin was crowned as the Under-21 women's singles champion while Hoe Shi Yun-Zuraini Nazri bagged the women's doubles gold medal.
