Dania eyes double returns in slight change of role at Asian Juniors
PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Dania Sofea Zaidi (pic) will be going for a double victory in the Asian Junior Championships with a slight change in her role.
The 17-year-old Dania has dropped the girls' singles event and will play in the doubles with Low Zi Yu and mixed doubles with Datu Anif Datu Asra in the meet in Solo, Indonesia, from July 18 to 27.
At the last edition in Yogyakarta, she did not play in the girls' doubles but after reaching the final of the world junior championships with Zi Yu last year, they are set to be one of the favourites at the Asian meet.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) also named Slovak Open runners-up Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan-Nur Aina Maisarah Hatta in the girls' doubles event. The others in the girls' team are Lee Mun, Oo Shan Zi, Eng Ler Qi, Lim Zhi Shin, Nicole Tan, and Nicole Chau.
In the boys' category, the tall Razeeq Danial Rosli, who won the National Under-18 Championships last year, will be one of the key players.
He will be supported by Ayu Fu Sheng, Kong Wei Xiang, Lim Boon Le, Datu Anif Datu Asrah, Loh Zi Heng, Zulwaqqarizal Ahmad, Damien Ling, Shazmir Shahrul, and Tan Zhi Yang as Malaysia aim for a strong showing at the regional meet.
The team event will be contested using the new relay scoring system, similar to the format introduced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) at the World Junior Championships in Nanchang, China, last September.
In last year's edition, Malaysia returned with a bronze medal in the team event. In the individual competitions, Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing bagged silver in the boys' doubles, while Siti Zulaikha Azmi (girls' singles) and Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee (girls' doubles) each secured bronze medals.
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