CYBERJAYA: Ampang Jaya Badminton Club (AJBC) recorded their fourth consecutive SS Purple League (SSPL) win by edging newcomers Tebrau City Badminton Club (TCBC) 10-9 on Day Seven here on Friday.
Even without their superstars, AJBC still had enough firepower to finish off the job and maintain their 100% record, making them hot favourites..
Rising star, Ye Binghong of China got the ball rolling for TCBC when he inflicted Tan Jia Wei’s first defeat in the SSPL, winning 3-2 (11-5, 3-11, 8-11, 11-7, 10-6) within the 30-minute time allocation.
Nurul Ghaida Ghaniyu, replacing national No 1 Goh Jin Wei, found it hard against TCBC’s, Xu Wei from China, losing 3-0 (11-10, 11-10, 11-6) to further add to AJBC’s woes.
Thai legend Boonsak Ponsana and his partner, Peeranat Boontun extended TCBC’s lead to 9-4 after a 3-2 (2-11, 11-7, 11-5, 10-11, 11-9) win against local pair, Chooi Kah Ming-Low Juan Shen.
Experienced pair, Chan Peng Soon-Shevon Lai Jemie closed the gap to 9-7 for AJBC when they dominated their junior pair, Tan Wee Gieen-Pearly Tan Koong Le 3-0 (11-8, 11-10, 11-8).
National number two, Lee Zii Jia, showed why he is touted as the next Lee Chong Wei when he rescued AJBC with a 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 11-6) result against R. Satheishtharan Ramachandran for the 10-9 victory.
“Going into the match, I was under pressure as I knew that I had to win 3-0. I played my usual game and thankfully I achieved the desired result,” said Zii Jia.
“This narrow win is a wake-up call for us. Before this we had (Kento) Momota but now we have to have to learn from this result, sit down and strategise again for the upcoming matches,” he added.
The SS Purple League 2019 features local and international players including Olympic medallists, world champions, former big names and rising stars on the international stage.