Badminton: Singapore’s Jin Yujia and Crystal Wong win first international women’s doubles title
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Singapore women's doubles pair Crystal Wong (left) and Jin Yujia after winning the Malaysia International Challenge.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SINGAPORE BADMINTON ASSOCIATION
SINGAPORE – The Republic’s badminton players ended the year on a high as world No. 41 women’s doubles pair Jin Yujia and Crystal Wong won the US$25,000 (S$34,000) Malaysia International Challenge on Sunday.
Jin, 25, told The Straits Times: “We feel happy to end the year on a high note. We had ups and downs throughout the year and this title didn’t come easy.
“But overall, I think our partnership is good. We communicate very well and are always open to new ideas and suggestions. We will work harder and aim higher in the new year.”
In the final at the Arena Badminton Perak, they beat Thailand’s 385th-ranked Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Atitaya Povanon 21-12, 21-15 in 32 minutes and collected a cheque for US$1,975.
This is the Singaporeans’ first title as a duo after 16 events. They started partnering in 2020 but entered competitions only in 2022 due to the pandemic. They had previously reached the final of the Italian International and Denmark Masters.
However, in the Malaysia International Challenge, they were the highest-ranked combination and lived up to their top billing as they swept their opponents in straight games.
After receiving a first-round bye, they beat three Malaysian pairs to reach the final. These include the unranked Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing (21-9, 21-13) in the round of 16, world No. 180 Yap Rui Chen and Yap Yee (21-13, 21-16) in the quarter-final and 235th-ranked Ng Qi Xuan and Teoh Le Xuan (21-15, 21-17) in the semi-final.
Wong, 23, said: “We went in with confidence and a clear idea about our strategy. We made sure we set the pace and stayed in control to keep ahead of our opponents.
“Our short-, medium- and long-term goals are to get into the top 30 before the Olympic qualification starts on May 1, qualify for Paris 2024, and consistently stay in the top 10 respectively.”
National doubles coach Paulus Firman added that the Singapore Badminton Association will help push their Olympic bid by sending them to higher-level tournaments on the Badminton World Federation World Tour to try and earn more rankings points.
He said: “They have the strength and speed in carrying out attacks, but there is still much to be improved, including stroke accuracy and resilience in defending after attacks.”
