Daania wins her first title of the season
Korean Shin Jae Jun turned on the style to claim a grand double at the Tep Khunnah Memorial Cup, an ITF J30 event taking place at the Morodok Techo Tennis Complex.
The 15-year-old defeated China’s Chen Xiaozheng 6-3,6-2 in the boy’s title, to add to the doubles title he had won on Friday.
Malaysia’s top seeded Daania Daniella Hazli, came back from the brink in the first set of her girl’s singles final match-up to defeat Singapore’s Chanya Ng Kai Ning.
Daania won 7-6 (9), 6-0, reversing her 0-6, 7-5 defeat to Chanya for the J30 Singapore singles crown in August.
All eyes were on Jaejun, seeded third year in his singles match against the unseeded Xiaozheng.
His Chinese rival had beaten two seeded players – fifth seed neutral athlete Fedor Evdokimov and eight seed Takuto Matsio of Hong Kong, enroute to the final.
Xiaozheng started off brilliantly to break Jaejun early on and take a 3-0 lead, but once Jaejun found his rhythm it was almost a one-way traffic for the Korean.
Keeping his rival pinned to the baseline, Jaejun whittled down any resistance from Xiaozheng for the well deserved victory.
Jaejun had won the doubles title partnering Bon Hong Koo, after the pair eased to a 6-1, 6-2 win over fellow Koreans Kim Kyungone-Kim He Sun in the boy’s doubles final on Friday.
Jaejun had not won any title this season in either the singles or doubles but can now claim the bragging rights of winning two titles on the same week.
The girl’s singles final turned out to be an intriguing encounter with Chanya holding all the cards in the early stages of the first set. The Singaporean lass was serving much better and was putting the pressure on Daania from the start.
“I just couldn’t find my rhythm. I was not fully warmed up and was not getting used to her returns,” admitted the 15-year-old Daania.
With her defeat to Chanya in their previous final encounter still rankling in her mind, Daania seemed to be heading for another defeat, despite holding her first three service games.
Against the odds, it was Daania, who managed to break Chanya only to see her rival breaking back quickly.
“I felt like there was a block in my mind. But once I got my rhythm, I started playing smarter,” added Daania.
The second set was as complete contrast from the first, with Daania taking full advantage of Chanya’s lapse.
“She had six set points in the first and could not serve out. That must have affected her. It looked like she had a metal block in the set,” said a relieved Daania.
Daania, who is expected to represent Malaysia at the Thailand SEA Games next month, will be looking to continue her good from in the second J30 Phnom Penh event which started earlier today at the same venue with the qualifying rounds.
RESULTS
Boys Final: Shin Jaejun (Kor) bt Chen Xiaozheng (Chn) 6-3,6-2
Girls Final: Daania Daniella Hazli (Mas) bt Chanya Ng Kai Ning (Sgp) 7-6 (9), 6-0
Qualifying Rounds (J30 Week 2)
Round One: Zhu Yunze (Chn) bt Vihaan Jani (Ind) 6-2, 6-2; Shreyanth Mahanthesha (Ind) bt Xie Kuangyi (Sgp) 6-0, 6-1; Joshua Chong (USA) bt Isaac Chow (Hkg) 6-0, 6-0; Kevin Kim (Kor) bt Rishvan Reddy Induru (Ind) 6-4, 6-2; Myles Bonnard (Fra) bt Joe Dale (USA) w.o; Jonathan Roth (Aut) bt Shanvanth Praveen (Ind) 6-0, 6-0; Yun Zifan (Chn) bt Shaun Tung Hur Kok (USA) 6-3, 6-2
Round Two: Binh Bao Quan Phan (Vie) bt Zhu Yunze (Chn) 7-5, 6-4; Jacques Rupe (Nzl) bt Kevin Kim (Kor) 6-2, 6-2; Rishab Ramanan (Ind) bt Joshua Chung (USA) 6-4, 6-4; Allen Leong (Sgp) bt Myles Bonnard (Fra) 6-0, 6-3; Ruhan Komandur (Ind) bt Yin Zifan (Chn) 7-5, 6-2; Hao Yi Zhang (Chn) bt Ngoc Huu Nguyen (Vie) 6-1, 6-1; Shreyanth Mahanthesha (Ind) bt Ryo Ono (Jpn) 6-3, 6-0
