Top Singapore badminton junior duo start off new year with national title win
Johann Prajogo, Nge Joo Jie follow up on last year's world No.1 junior ranking with first National Open Championships trophy
SINGAPORE — Fresh from ending 2022 as the junior men's doubles world No.1 pair, Singapore's Johann Prajogo and Nge Joo Jie underlined their promising potential when they clinched their first title at the Singapore Sports Hub National Open Championships presented by Eagle Brand on Friday (10 February).
The duo displayed aggressive shot-making, deft reflexes and sound teamwork as they defeated Nicholas Kat and Nge Joo Jin - Joo Jie's younger brother - 21-18, 21-16 in the men's doubles final at OCBC Arena Hall 2.
"Definitely, it feels great to start off the year on a good note," Prajogo, 18, told Yahoo News Singapore after their win. "We hope that we can perform consistently this year in our first season on the senior circuit, in the international competitions and local tournaments."
"We also hope we can perform well in the upcoming SEA Games. That will be our first major Games, and we want to give our best for that," Nge, 19, added.
Both defending singles champs retain titles
In the singles events, both men's and women's defending champions retained their titles.
In the men's singles final, national-team sparring partner Vega Vio Nirwanda withstood a barrage of aggressive shot-making by Lim Ming Hong and took care of the key points to retain his title, winning 21-19, 21-19.
It was a similar story in the women's singles final, as national team shuttler Nur Insyirah Khan clawed back from deficits in both games to subdue Megan Lee 21-16, 21-18 and successfully defend her 2022 title.
"It was shaky at the start, but I managed to retain my composure and fight for every point," the 21-year-old said after earning her trophy. "I told myself, whatever mistakes I made in the previous points, I have to forget and focus on the next point. Thankfully I was able to make a comeback."
Lee managed to find some joy in the women's doubles final, as she teamed up with Grace Chua to defeat Liang Yun and Lim Ming Hui 17-21, 21-15, 21-14 to earn the Open title.
Liang had earlier clinched the mixed doubles title with Bimo Adi Prakoso, also going the distance before prevailing against Lai Jing Neng and Mok Jing Qiong 21-16, 19-21, 21-15.
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