Zi Yu-Genevie conquer nerves to claim world junior gold

KUALA LUMPUR: Low Zi Yu and Genevie Lim admitted that nerves almost got the better of them before they held their composure to capture the girls' doubles gold at the World Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt on Saturday.

The second seeds overcame a tense deciding game to beat Japan's Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio 15-7, 9-15, 15-12 in 41 minutes at the Cairo International Stadium.

The victory also saw Zi Yu-Genevie make history as the first Malaysian women's doubles pair to win the world junior title since the tournament's inception in 1992.

However, the triumph did not come without a scare, especially for Zi Yu, who feared she was heading for a third consecutive silver medal after the Japanese pair forced a deciding game.

The 16-year-old had previously finished runner-up with Dania Sofea Zaidi in 2024 and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan last year.

"Very happy. This time, I can get a gold medal. Just now, the last set, I was very nervous. I thought I was going to take the third silver medal for World Juniors," said Zi Yu in a post-match interview.

"After we lost one game, we stayed more focused and more patient against our opponents. They were very strong."

Genevie also admitted feeling the pressure, particularly when the Japanese pair threatened to save their match points in the deciding game.

"I felt very nervous because I didn't want to get another silver (after the mixed team competition). When we ended up in the rubber game, that was the most crucial part," said Genevie.

"Yes, a lot of anxiety built up inside of me."

The gold medal was particularly sweet for Zi Yu, who had endured disappointment earlier in the championships after Malaysia finished runners-up to China in the mixed team event.

She also suffered another setback in the individual mixed doubles competition but refused to allow it to affect her women's doubles campaign.

"Of course, after I lost my mixed doubles match, I felt sad, but after that, I just stayed positive to fight for my doubles," said Zi Yu.

The youngster said finally winning the elusive gold medal after two previous final defeats was a proud moment.

"I'm very proud that I can get this gold medal for my country," she said.

Genevie shared the sentiment, saying: "I feel very happy and, of course, proud to get it for my country."

The historic victory capped a memorable campaign for the Malaysians, who had defeated China's Shi Si Chen-Xiang Yu Jin 15-9, 15-11 in the semi-finals.