CHIA Jeng Hon marched into the fourth round of the Petronas National Under-21 Badminton championship, his feathers unruffled, as the challenge towards the title hots up in Ipoh today.
Top seed Jeng Hon defeated Leong Hou Xuan of Perak 21-14, 21-14 in the third round to setup a fourth-round clash against the unseeded Darrell Chew Sen Xian. Darrell registered a 19-21, 21-18, 21-16 win over Datu Arif Isaac Datu Asrah from Sabah.
Second seed Hooi Shao Herng, and Eogene Ewe Eon (3/4), both representing BAM, also registered straight set wins over their opponents. Shao Herng won 21-8, 21-6 against Jun Sheng Khoo for a fourth-round clash against Sie Yi Lok (9-16). Eogene, meanwhile, continued his winning streak following a 21-15, 21-17 victory over Chow Wern Soon of Perlis.
In the fourth round, Eogene plays Selangor’s Mohd Atef Haikal.
In other third round matches, Sarawak’s Goh Shun Khiat upstaged Mohd Danelly Iskandar 21-17, 21-12 while Selangor’s Mohd Harris Sufian triumphed 21-8, 21-12 against Malacca’s Yeoh Chun Cher to advance to the fourth round.
In women singles event, national player and top seed Siti Nurshuhaini Azman joined several of her teammates into the third round.
The 18-year-old Siti, who first represented the country in the 2020 Uber Cup and also finished runner-up in the women singles event at the 2022 Czech Open, scored an easy 21-5, 21-9 win in the first round over Adiyna Anuar of Negeri Sembilan, and received a walkover from Kuala Lumpur’s Weng Yang Lee in the second round.
She meets Shaneesa Shahidi in the third round. Seeded 9/16, Shaneesa who hails from Malacca, defeated Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) player Lee Mun 21-16, 21-15.
BAM’s Ong Xin Yee, seeded second, defeated Kuala Lumpur’s Wong Au Mei 21-11, 21-7 in the opening round. Xin Yee, however, had to work hard against Nurin Zahirah Haizal in the second round to pull off a 19-21, 21-9, 21-2 victory.
Siti Zulaikha Mohd Azmi Tan (BAM), seeded 3/4, and Jang Sher Ling, both BAM players, will go into a showdown in the third round after winning their earlier round matches with ease. Siti Zulaikha brushed aside Pon Jia Yee 21-12, 21-16 in the second round while Sher Ling stopped Christina Shin Ni Loh (9/16) 21-13, 21-8.
Selangor‘s Reesha Kumaresan also ended Xin Ying Teh’s run in a nail-biting encounter before winning 20-22, 23-21, 21-17. The SMK Cyber Jaya student is a 16-year-old and a fast-rising talented player.
