DANIA SOFEA AND ARIFFIN NAZRI CRUISE INTO THE 2023 JOHOR CLOSED BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

PONTIAN (7 January 2023): The 2023 Johor Closed Badminton Championship is building up to a dramatic climax at the DBC Sport Arena in Pontian tomorrow.

The opening U-21 men's singles semi-final saw top seed Ariffin Nazri continue his smashing form as he overcame third seed Azuan Amirul Imran 21-15, 21-15 in an entertaining 45-minute match.

It was a nail-biting opening game, with Ariffin keeping his composure to race to a 9-2 lead in the first five minutes. Amirul then bounced back and kept Ariffin on his toes by leading 15-9.

However, the experienced shuttler was no match for Ariffin's aggressive style of play, and Ariffin took the first game 21-15. Ariffin then settled his nerves in the second game and sailed into the final with another 21-15 win.

Ariffin will face his archrival Wee Yee Tern, who defeated Liew Wen Jie 21-18, 21-16 in the other semi-final. A jubilant Ariffin said he is looking forward to meeting his fellow Johor shuttler in the final and expects an explosive clash.

"I'm delighted that my tactics worked in this match and hope to continue this momentum in tomorrow's crucial final against my mate Wee Yee Tern.

"I have had several sparring sessions with him in the past and I believe I have the edge in our upcoming final," said the confident Ariffin, who recently competed at the BWF World Junior Championships 2022 in Spain.

In the Under-16 girls' singles, defending champion Dania Sofea stole the spotlight when she made short work of Ng Jing Yee 21-3, 21-8 in the semi-finals. Dania, from Albert Sports, overcame her opponent in just 18 minutes.

Dania was delighted with her performance and dedicated her victory to her parents, and thanked the Johor Badminton Association (Johor BA) for organising the tournament.

The badminton prodigy, who recently excelled at the 2022 Asian Junior Championships in Bangkok, said, "I would like to thank my parents for always supporting me in ensuring my success in this sport. I will also make sure I retain my title tomorrow as a gift for my parents for all the sacrifices they have made in shaping me into a reputable athlete.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Johor BA for organising this tournament, as it gives players like me an opportunity to play against the top talents in the state."

The 2023 Johor Closed Championship comprises five age categories: Under-21, Under-16, Under-14, Under-12 and Under-10. The finals will be held tomorrow, 8 January, at the DBC Sport Arena in Pontian, Johor.