KUALA LUMPUR: Low Zi Yu stayed firmly on course for a double-title assault at the World Junior Championships in Cairo on Wednesday after cruising into the last-32 in both mixed and girls' doubles.
The 16-year-old first combined with Ahmad Redzuan Zulwaqqarizal to sweep aside Brazil's Klecivan Silva-Laura Roviezzo 15-7, 15-3 in just 14 minutes.
The top seeds and reigning Asian junior champions will next face Americans Zicheng Xu-Jasmine Yeung.
Zi Yu then returned to court alongside Genevie Lim and was even more ruthless, with the second seeds demolishing Hungary's Eliza Liang-Jana Weissenbach 15-3, 15-3 in 15 minutes.
The girls' doubles campaign carries extra significance for Zi Yu, who has finished runner-up at the World Juniors in the event for the past two years.
She took silver with Dania Sofea Zaidi in 2024 before again settling for second place last year alongside Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan.
Malaysia also enjoyed a perfect run in the mixed doubles, with all four combinations advancing.
Yusuf Iqbal-Leong Hwee Ling produced the standout upset, sending fourth seeds Filip Titěra-Amélie Maixnerová of the Czech Republic packing 15-10, 15-11 in just 17 minutes.
Their reward is a testing last-32 meeting with China's Yi Chen Tu-Si Chen Shi.
Eleventh seeds Khairul Azlan Khashah-Nur Aina Maisarah were equally impressive in brushing aside Australia's Ben Rambaud-Yanxi Liu 15-4, 15-7.
They next face another Chinese combination, 29th seeds Feng Yi Lang-Li Meng Han, in what promises to be another stern examination.
Twenty-second seeds Irfan Shazmir-Genevie were pushed harder before overcoming Indonesia's Moses Andar Simanjuntak-Reya Azzahra Yulianti 15-11, 9-15, 15-11.
They will meet Hong Kong's 13th seeds Cheng Ying Kit-Au-Yeung Wing Chi next.
In the girls' doubles, 13th seeds Rachel Tan-Teh Xin Ying won the all-Malaysian clash against Hwee Ling-Teoh Min Yi 15-10, 15-10 to also reach the last-32.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
