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New Straits Times

Quietly confident Noraqilah-Aina aim for Asian Juniors podium

KUALA LUMPUR: While top girls' doubles Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu are expected to hog the limelight, a fresh-faced pair are quietly eyeing a breakthrough at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) in Surakarta, Indonesia. Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan, 18, and Nur Aina Maisarah Hatta, 16, are relishing their underdog role ahead of the tournament, which starts with the mixed team event from July 18-22, followed by the individual competition from July 23-27. As Malaysia's No. 2 junior pair, Noraqilah-Aina are happy to let the spotlight stay on Dania-Zi Yu — last year's World Junior Championships silver medallists. "We both know Dania-Zi Yu are the top pair. I think all the attention will be on them," said Noraqilah at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday. "For us, there's no pressure. We'll just go out there, give it our best, and show we deserve to be on this stage." Formed only in April after Aina joined the national junior squad, the partnership has already shown promise. In just their second tournament together, they made a surprise run to the final of the Slovak Open in May. They've since reached the quarter-finals at both the Austrian Open and the Malaysia Junior International Challenge. "We weren't expecting to reach the final in Slovakia since we're still a new pair," said Noraqilah. "But for the Asian Juniors, we do have a goal — we want to finish on the podium if possible." Their strong on-court chemistry has been key to their early success. Both bring speed, aggression and solid communication. "We can match each other's pace. We're both quite fast, and we talk well during matches," said Aina. "Even when things go wrong, we find solutions together quickly." The pair, who can switch seamlessly between net and backcourt roles, will start with the mixed team event before turning their attention to the individual competition. With no pressure and plenty of upside, Noraqilah-Aina could just be Malaysia's surprise package in Surakarta.