GERMAN JUNIOR 2011 – Malaysian boys take up their mantle

Boys' doubles winners Nelson Heg / Teo Ee Yi (MAS) © Volkmar Kehrberg

The boys’ doubles world title has gone to Malaysia three years in a row and already this year, a new pair has stepped up to announce their candidacy as successors as Nelson Heg / Teo Ee Yi took the German Junior title.

By Michael Krug, Badzine Correspondent live in Berlin.  Photos: Volkmar Kehrberg (live)

Last spring, Nelson Heg / Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia had to settle for second best in the final of the World Junior Championships in Mexico as their compatriots Ow/Yew were to be the ones to take the nation’s third straight boys’ doubles title.  Now in their last year of juniors, the two boys have shown they are ready to take over.

In Sunday’s boys’ doubles final in Germany, the Malaysians started furiously, giving the Danish combination of Rasmus Fladberg / Kim Astrup Sørensen no real chance as they cruised to an easy 21-12 win.

In the second game, the Danes fought hard and kept the score close but the Malaysians played a really good game, with Nelson Heg playing some especially exquisite shots from the baseline as well as showing great touch at the net. The match ended 21-19 in favour of the Malaysians with one of the many errors of the ”third shot” committed by Rasmus Fladberg.

Fladberg’s bigger test had come earlier in the afternoon, however, as he defended his nation’s claim to the boys’ title won by Viktor Axelsen last year.  Fladberg, who was passed over for qualifying for the Singapore Youth Olympics to Flemming Quach last spring, prevailed in straight games on Sunday, beating his team-mate 21-17, 21-16.

Mixed doubles winners Frederik Colberg / Mette Poulsen (DEN) © Volkmar Kehrberg

Denmark’s other title came in the mixed doubles, where Frederik Colberg and Mette Poulsen – unlike Quach, Fladberg, and Astrup Sørensen –  are still eligible for U-19 events in 2011.

The mixed began as a very nervous affair with many errors committed especially by the Danish side Colberg/Poulsen. Consequently, this game was quickly and unspectacularly won by Lee/Yeung from Hong Kong by 21-14. In the second game, the Danish combination managed to calm their nerves and played much better with precise shots and clever placement. The Hong Kong Chinese pair committed many more errors, especially with drives played to the baseline. The Danish pair stayed focused and won the second game 21:15. In the deciding game, the Lee/Yeung were trailing behind from the beginning on and could never really close the gap. At the end of the game Mette Poulsen showed some nerves but the margin was too big to close for the Hong Kong Chinese and the match went to the Danes 21-16 in the deciding game.

In the girls singles, the two finalists from Hong Kong and Korea played a very fast pace with Cheung Ngan Yi dominating the net in the first game and thereby forcing Song Min Jin time after time into error or too short replies. So the first game went 21-15 to the girl from Hong Kong China. In the second game, Song Min Jin kept her opponent away from the net and, fighting very hard for each point, and bagged the second game 21-15.

Left to right: Runner-up Song Min Jin (KOR), Winner Cheung Ngan Yi (HKG), 3rd place Sonia Cheah (MAS) © Volkmar Kehrberg

The deciding game started with long rallies, the points shared on both sides. But as the game went on, Song seemed to slow down a bit and thus often was too late to reach the drop shots of her opponent. This allowed the girl from Hong Kong to win the match 21-16 in the deciding game.

It is hard to consider this an upset, though, as Song’s status as #1 seed was more prescient than logical, given that she has played only one international tournament, a tri-nation challenge in China last year.  Her compatriot and high school classmate Lee So Hee, meanwhile, defended her German Junior girls’ doubles title as she and Shin Seung Chan, winners of the ANA Under 17s in Japan last fall, prevailed over the Kim sisters, Chan Mi and Hyo Min – who also attend the same school as Lee – in an uninspired, all-Korean display that earned exactly one tame ovation, according to one onlooker.

For complete results, CLICK HERE