ASIAN JUNIORS SF – Sweet Revenge

Pattarasuda Chaiwan (photo) got her little sweet revenge over Singapore Yeo Jia Min. After her loss at Dutch Junior, Chaiwan sent Yeo out of the Badminton Asia Junior Championship semi-final in the Jaya Raya Sports Hall Training Center, Tangerang Selatan.

Story and photos by Mathilde Liliana Perada, Badzine Correspondent live in Tangerang Selatan

The Thai shuttler lost the first game after she led at the beginning of the match. Chaiwan went clinching the second game 21-17 then trailed behind Yeo by 7-11 at the interval in third game. She fought back after she moved to the other side of the court and ended the match 21-17.

“I didn’t play well or badly. I just believed that I could do it. I was able to do my best even though I had pain on my back,” said the 16-year-old. In the final match, she will face China’s Han Yue.

Unfortunately, her compatriot Kunlavut Vitidsam was sent packing in the boys’ singles after losing to Leong Jun Hao (photo) from Malaysia. Leong had to play the deciding game which was nail-biting – it went to the Malaysian 23-21.

Leong told Badzine that he didn’t expect to win the match since he was behind in third game. But the support from his team-mates gave him strength to get points, one by one. The Thai got a shot at winning the match but Leong played more aggressively with more attacking strokes to finally win it..

“In the first game I played in a hurry, and I couldn’t get point. But finally I won the match. I feel really happy,” said Leong.

Hosts keep one shot at gold

Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti (photo) were the last hopes of home shuttlers for a title. They made it to the final round after beating Wang Chan / Kim Min Ji from Korea. In the final match, Kusharjanto/Ramadhanti will meet another Korea pair, Na Sung Seung / Seong Ah Yeong, who beat Kang Min Hyuk / Baek Ha Na 22-20, 18-21, 21-19.

“I already prepared myself since last night. I tried to keep my focus in getting one point after another. We could have lost if we didn’t keep our focus steady in the second game. The points were really tight,” said Kusharjanto, son of the Sydney Olympic silver medallist Tri Kusharjanto.

“We have to prepare ourselves better because our opponents in the final tomorrow are stronger than today’s,” Kusharjanto added about final match.

“My body said that I’m done but my mind said that I can do it. I tried to do what my mind said and I could do it,” Ramadhanti said about her performance.

Ramadhanti had played in two matches In the team event final against Korea. She also got into semi-final round in both mixed and girls’ doubles. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it two final matches for her as she and her partner lost to Baek Ha Na / Lee Yu Rim 18-21, 12-21.

Na Sung Seung is one step closer to getting two titles during these Asian Junior Championships by also playing in boys’ doubles, partnering Lee Sang Min (photo) after they beat another Korean pair – Shin Tae Yang / Wang Chan 18-21, 21-10, 21-19. The #2 seeds will face China’s Di Zijian / Wang Chang, who won over Malaysia’s Chia Wei Jie / Ng Tze Yong.

Click here for complete semi-final results