Top seed Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah pulled himself back from the brink of defeat to earn a title shot at the YONEX SUNRISE BWF World Junior Championships 2025.
Having blown comfortable leads in the first game against China’s Li Zhi Hang, Ubaidillah trailed all through the second and appeared increasingly forlorn. At 11-14, three match points down, the Indonesian conjured a winner out of nothing, and then suddenly the self-belief was back. He stole the game from the Chinese’s grasp, and then weathered a late charge in the third to take his place in the final.
“It was important for me to win this one because this is my last World Juniors and last year I finished in the semifinals,” said Ubaidillah. “I wanted to give up at 11-14 but my coach kept urging me to stay in each point. I tried to be patient, my opponent had made me uncomfortable with fast drives. This win has taught me the importance of being focussed and to make less unforced errors. I give myself a 10 out of 10.”
An all-Indonesian men’s singles final was not far from materialising. Ubaidillah’s compatriot Richie Duta Richardo put in an explosive performance that very nearly saw him surge past third seed Liu Yang Ming Yu. The Chinese however edged past him at the end to set up a repeat of the Asian Junior Championships final that Ubaidillah won earlier this year.
Liu’s was one of only three wins China salvaged from seven matches. The others were in women’s doubles and mixed doubles with Tan Ke Xuan/Wei Yue Yue and Chen Jun Ting/Liu Jun Rong.
Sharma Seeks to Break Drought
For the hosts, who had only one contender in the semifinals, the day couldn’t have unfolded better. Top seed Tanvi Sharma displayed the full range of her prowess – attacking, teasing, flicking – and had her opponent Liu Si Ya chase the shuttle for most of the match. It was a performance that was right from the copybook of her idol Tai Tzu Ying.
Sharma is now one win away from breaking India’s 17-year title drought. India’s last and only gold medal had come in 2008 – incidentally, the only time India has hosted the World Junior Championships.
Good Returns for Korea
Lee Hyeong Woo and Cho Hye In
Korea’s Lee Hyeong Woo led his country’s charge into two finals. Lee and Cheon Hye In blitzed China’s Chen Jun Ting/Cao Zi Han in the mixed doubles semifinals in just 22 minutes, before Lee returned with Cho Hyeong Woo for the men’s doubles. Their opponents, top seeds Kazuma Kawano/Shuji Sawada, took the match to a decider but the Koreans’ attack proved overwhelming, as they closed it out 13-15 15-11 15-8 in 36 minutes.
What They Said
“I was playing so fast today, I played my full game. I’m very happy! It’s very special for me – I practice here and I’m in the final now. Everything was perfect, but I made three or four unenforced errors but then came back. I was catching her on many shots and I was comfortable.” – Tanvi Sharma
“Last time I lost in the final, so this time I will try my best to get the gold medal for my country. The key was to remain focussed, we had planned that if we didn’ve have a chance, we’d just lift, stay patient, and then attack when we got the chance.” – Low Zi Yu
Other Highlights
» Malaysia’s Low Zi Yu, runner-up last year with Dania Sofea, made her second consecutive final with Noraqilah Maisarah, who made amends for her women’s doubles loss earlier in the day.
» The finals will see contestants from seven teams: China, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. Korea’s Lee Hyeong Woo has a shot at a double title.
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