The BWF World Junior Championships for the Eye Level Cups was held from April 13-18 in Alor Setar, Malaysia. Defending champion Akane Yamaguchi won the title for the second consecutive year.
Akane won the 2013 YONEX OPEN JAPAN title and became the youngest ever Superseries winner at 16. After this win, she was considered a rising star and many players researched her playing style. She had to play 3 full games before the final, with a tough start at the final losing the first game against Chinese He Bing Jiao, 14-21. Akane struggled with the wind inside the stadium, but she regained control in the beginning of the second game. After winning the second game, she played with renewed confidence and accurate control around the net. This created a lot of opportunities to attack and finally, she finished the match with an overhead smash. The final score was 14-21 21-18 21-13.
In the boy’s doubles, Puavaranukroh Dechapol (VTZF, SHBF1NLTD) and Ketlen Kittinupong (VTZF, SHBF1NLTD) took home their first doubles title. The Thai duo defeated Japanese pair Masahide Nakata and Katsuki Tamate. Nakata and Tamate won tough matches against seeded pairs before facing Dechapol and Kittinupong in the final. They faced the second seeded Choi Jong Woo/Lee Kwang Eon in the first round. The final score was 21-16 21-18. Thailand has begun to make its mark on the international badminton community in the past few years.
YONEX was the official equipment supplier of the BWF World Junior Championships and is very proud to support the biggest tournament for junior players. Don’t miss these young sensations' performance in the future.