Victorious: Mohd Faiq Masawi (left) and Lok Hong Quan won two golds at the Sarawak Sukma.
LEFT-handed combination Mohd Faiq Masawi-Lok Hong Quan proved that their victory in the recent Malaysian Junior Interna-tional Challenge (IC) was no fluke when they defied the odds to win the men’s doubles gold for Selangor in the Malaysia Games (Sukma).
Faiq-Hong Quan’s seniors in the national team Beh Chun Meng-Goh Boon Zhe from Penang were the hot favourites to capture the title and looked on course for the win in the final after taking the first game 21-19 but the former refused to give up and came out firing in the second and third games to win 21-19, 21-15 in a thrilling final in Sibu yesterday.
The 18-year-olds, who were both making their debuts in the Sukma, showed that they have the potential to become a top pair in the future.
It was Faiq-Hong Quan’s second gold in the competition after they also helped Selangor win the mixed team title.
National junior head coach Jeffer Rosobin was pleased to see his charges continue their good form which comes just in time for the World Junior Championships from Sept 30-Oct 13 in Nanchang, China.
“Faiq and Hong Quan became more confident after winning the Malaysian Junior IC. This pair is very talented and have their own advantage as they are both left- handed,” said Jeffer.
“Faiq can also play in the singles and he can adapt himself in both events.
“We are planning for him and Hong Quan to play in the doubles together in the World Junior Championships and hopefully they can continue their good form there.”
Faiq-Hong Quan’s rise is another positive sign for Malaysia’s men’s doubles squad which already boast several upcoming young pairs such as Asian Junior Championships silver medallists Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing, Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, who are another left-handed combination, and Mohd Haikal Nazri-Choong Hon Jian.
Meanwhile, Aaron was also celebrating after winning gold in the mixed doubles for Melaka with Nuraqilah Maisarah Ramdan.
Aaron-Nuraqilah beat Penang’s Tan Wei Liang-Khor Jing Wen 21-17, 21-16 in the final.
In the women’s doubles, Johor’s Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu fought hard to overcome Perak’s Chong Jie Yu-Vannee Gobi 19-21, 21-19, 21-12 to win the gold.
