Joo Ven secures maiden win, Soniaa defends her title in badminton championship

IPOH: National badminton player Soong Joo Ven earned his maiden National Badminton Championship title, while Soniia Cheah Su Ya defended hers, at the Perak Badminton Arena yesterday.

Joo Ven, who was the third seed in the men’s singles event, won easily after his opponent Leong Jun Hao pulled out in the second set while the latter was down 1-7.

“I am very happy to have won this tournament but I cannot dwell on this victory for long, and will continue my efforts to win competitions at the international level,” he told reporters yesterday.

In the meantime, Jun Hao said he decided to withdraw from the match as he had been struggling with a leg injury since his match against Lim Chong King in the semi-finals on Friday.

“At 1-7, I felt like my legs could no longer move well, so I decided to withdraw because I was afraid if the injury worsened it would take a longer time to recover,” he said.

Meanwhile, Soniia defended the women’s singles title after defeating first seed Goh Jin Wei 21-10, 21-14.

“Being the country’s number one player is not very important to me, but we (herself and Goh Jin Wei) should work together as a team,” she said.

Professional mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying, meanwhile, defeated Hoo Pang Ron-Shevon Lai Jemie 17-21, 21-13, 21-19 in an actionpacked match which lasted almost an hour.

Peng Soon said the victory was especially sweet as the pair had last won the title eight years ago.

In the men’s doubles final, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi beat Aaron Chia Teng Fong-Soh Wooi Yik 21-12, 21-19, while the women’s doubles was won by Anna Cheong Ching Yik-Lim Chiew Sien who beat Cheah Yee SeeTeoh May Xing 23-21, 21-17. - Bernama