World Junior Mixed Team Championships: Malaysia push China 1-2 before settling for silver

KUCHING: They gave it everything, but Malaysia’s wait for another world junior mixed team title continues.

Malaysia pushed China through three intense games in the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships final in Cairo before falling 1-2 (46-55, 55-53, 45-55) tonight (Oct 10).

Sarawak had two representatives in the Malaysian squad – Genevie Lim and Isyraf Hafizin Ibrahim – with Genevie playing a key role in the fightback after Malaysia dropped the opening game.

Partnering Low Zi Yu in the women’s doubles, Genevie helped put Malaysia 33-30 ahead in the second game before returning alongside Shazmir Irfan Sharul in mixed doubles to stretch the lead to 44-36.

China fought back, but Shazmir and Zulwaqqarizal Ahmad held their nerve to close out the game 55-53 and force a decider.

Malaysia stayed with the defending champions in the third, but China pulled away in the closing stages to take it 55–45 and retain the world junior crown.

Malaysia’s only title in the event came in 2011, while their previous final appearance was in 2017, when they also finished runners-up to China.

Nine years later, Malaysia were back in the final – with Sarawak’s Genevie and Isyraf part of the team that brought home silver from Cairo.

It was not the gold they wanted, but Malaysia made China work all the way for it.