NATIONAL U-18 C'SHIPS: WEI XIANG, LER QI REIGN SUPREME IN MEN'S, WOMEN'S SINGLES

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) --  National junior shuttler Kong Wei Xiang proved his mettle by taking the men’s singles crown at the National Under-18 Championships 2025 at the Perak Badminton Academy Hall in Ipoh today.

A Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) statement said that the top seed had to come from behind to beat teammate Louis Lee Qi Jun 12-15, 20-18, 15-9 in the title showdown that lasted over an hour.

Meanwhile, top seed Eng Ler Qi of BAM was crowned women’s singles champion after downing second seed and teammate Oo Shan Zi 15-8, 15-9 in the final.

BAM pair Dania Sofea Zaidi-Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah’s hopes of winning the mixed doubles title were dashed when they succumbed 16-14, 10-15, 14-16 to teammates Loh Ziheng-Maisarah Ramdan in the final.

However, there was better luck for Dania and Datu Anif in the women's and men's doubles categories respectively.

In women's doubles, the partnership of Dania-Low Zi Yu, who finished as runners-up in last year's World Junior Championships, had no problem disposing of the unseeded Lee Mun-Carine Tee Xin Qi of BAM 15-6, 15-7 in the title showdown.

In men's doubles, Datu Anif-Damien Ling came out triumphant with a 15-6, 15-12 win over third-fourth seeds Heng Zi Hin (Negeri Sembilan)-Ethan Oh Joon Hui (Putrajaya).

This tournament was a testing ground for the new 3x15 scoring system as proposed by Badminton World Federation (BWF) in February.

The BWF announced that the new scoring system would be tested in selected continental and World Tour Grade 3 events, as well as national tournaments and international club leagues, starting from March until October.

-- BERNAMA