KUALA LUMPUR: Eogene Ewe is just one win from a major breakthrough in his career after reaching the boys' singles final of the German Junior Open in Berlin.
The 18-year-old overcame two Chinese shuttlers - Huang Jia Ming and Wang Zi Jun - in a day yesterday.
Eogene defeated Jia Ming 21-19, 24-22 in the quarter-finals before overcoming Zi Jun 21-10, 16-21, 21-13 several hours later.
He will meet Japan's Yudai Okimoto, winner of last week's Dutch Junior International, in the final later today.
The German Junior Open is among the most sought-after titles in the BWF world junior circuit. Malaysia's Jacky Kok (2020), Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (2009) and R. Satheishtharan (2015) had won the event.
Legends such as China's Lin Dan (2001), Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat (1997), Denmark's Peter Gade (1995) and current world No 1 Viktor Axelsen (2010) are among the notable past champions.
Eogene deserved a pat on his back for bouncing back from a slump. In Haarlem last week, he failed to even clear the first round.
Lok Hong Quan and Ong Xin Yee reached the quarter-finals in the boys' singles and girls' singles respectively before losing to India's Ayush Shetty 21-11, 21-14 while Xin Yee went down 21-17, 20-22, 21-9 to Japan's Mihane.