IPOH, Sept 23 — Malaysian men’s doubles pair Lim Tze Jian-Wong Tien Chi fell short of claiming their first title at the Petronas Malaysia International Badminton Challenge 2024, losing to Filipino pair Solomon Jr Padiz-Julius Villabrille in the final today.

The tournament, held at the Perak Badminton Arena, saw the newly paired duo formed in March start strong, winning the first set 21-14 in just 12 minutes. However, they were unable to maintain their momentum, losing the subsequent two sets 21-23 and 16-21.

Meanwhile, Japan dominated three categories: men’s singles, women’s singles and women’s doubles.

This dominance began with Minoru Koga, who triumphed over his compatriot Riku Hatano with scores of 21-19, 15-21, and 21-11, securing the men’s singles title for the second consecutive year.

Riko Gunji continued her teammates’ winning ways by overcoming the prowess of Indonesian player Ruzana Ruzana in a thrilling three-set match lasting 63 minutes in the women’s singles category.

The former World Junior Champion from Kanagawa faced an unexpected challenge, losing the first set 19-21. However, she quickly rallied to level the match in the second set with a 21-15 victory, carrying that momentum into the third set, where she comfortably defeated her opponent 21-11.

In the women’s doubles category, Naru Shinoya-Nao Yamakita maintained their impressive performance by defeating their compatriots Hinata Suzuki-An Uesugi, 21-12, 12-21, and 21-17, in a match that lasted an hour.

Meanwhile, the mixed doubles title was claimed by Indonesian pair Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina Marwah, who triumphed over fellow Indonesians Adnan Maulana-Indah Cahya Sari Jamil with scores of 22-24, 21-11, and 21-19.

The Petronas-sponsored tournament, which offers a total prize pool of US$19,000 (RM79,900), attracted participants from 18 countries, including Malaysia, Japan, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand.

Winners in each category received cash prizes of US$2,000 (RM8,410) for first place, US$1,200 (RM5,046) for second, while players reaching the semi-finals and quarter-finals received US$500 (RM2,103) and US$200 (RM841) respectively. — Bernama