Surabaya: After being sidelined for more than a year following surgery on her left knee, Malaysia’s 2015 Sea Games women’s doubles gold medalist Soong Fie Cho and her new partner Tee Jing Yi, have booked their places in the final at the Indonesia International Challenge Badminton Tournament in Surabaya, Indonesia on Saturday.
Playing in their second tournament together, the pair survived a stern examination by Indonesian pair Agatha Imanuela/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti in the semi-final to win the first set 21-12. The Malaysian pair had to call upon all their resources of skill, poise and experience to edge the Indonesian pair 22-20 in the second set in front of a hostile home crowd at the Sudirman Badminton Hall.
Soong/Tee will play No. 2 seeds Dian Fitriani/Nadya Melati in the final.
Malaysia’s unseeded Selvaduray Kisona continued her “Cinderella run” in the tournament by overcoming a stiff challenge against No. 6 seed Natsuki Nidaira of Japan to clinch a hard-fought 15-21, 21-19, 21-14 win in the women’s singles semi-final.
Kisona who stunned top seed, Ruselli Hartawan on Friday en route to the semi-finals, will meet No. 3 seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia on Sunday.
In the all-Indonesian men’s singles final, unseeded Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka will face No. 2 seed Shesar Hiren Rhustavito for the men’s singles crown.
