Low Zi Yu-Genevie Lim beat Japan's Kamata-Kashio to win Malaysia's first world junior girls' doubles title

Low Zi Yu and Genevie Lim are Malaysia's first world junior girls' doubles champions. In the final at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday, 17 October, the second seeds beat Japan's Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio 15-7, 9-15, 15-12 in 45 minutes. The tournament began in 1992, and no Malaysian pair had won the girls' doubles in the 34 years since. For 16-year-old Zi Yu it was third time lucky, after she finished with silver at the previous two editions.

How the final unfolded

The Malaysians made a fast start and took the first game 15-7. Kamata-Kashio came back strongly to win the second 15-9, which sent the match to a decider. Zi Yu and Genevie were ahead for most of the third game, and the BWF report says they were on course for a comfortable finish before some nervy points near the end. Zi Yu won the final point to close it out 15-12.

The final followed a quick semi-final, in which they beat China's Shi Si Chen-Xiang Yu Jin 15-9, 15-11. That win guaranteed Malaysia a medal in the event, and the final turned it into gold.

Zi Yu ends her silver streak

Zi Yu reached her third World Junior girls' doubles final in a row, each time with a different partner. She took silver in 2024 with Dania Sofea Zaidi and in 2025 with Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan. Genevie, who is 18, gave her a new partner this year, and they won the title in Cairo.

Zi Yu told reporters she had feared another runner-up finish, saying: "I thought I was going to take the third silver medal." Genevie told the BWF that the third game was the most crucial part of the match.

Beating Malaysia's previous best

Before this, Malaysia's best result in girls' doubles at the World Juniors was a runner-up finish by Pearly Tan and Toh Ee Wei at the 2018 championships in Markham, Canada. Pearly has since become one of Malaysia's senior stars. On the same weekend, she and M. Thinaah reached the Denmark Open final, the first time a Malaysian women's pair has done so since 2008.

China has won most of the girls' doubles titles since 1992. Bernama noted this when describing how significant the Malaysians' win was.

The rest of the championships

The girls' doubles gold came after Malaysia won silver in the Suhandinata Cup mixed team event earlier in the championships. Malaysia beat Indonesia 2-0 in the semi-finals and lost the final 2-1 to China.

Indonesia won two golds on the individual finals day. Radithya Bayu Wardhana beat compatriot Fardhan Rainanda Joe 15-9, 11-15, 15-8 in the all-Indonesian boys' singles final. Muhammad Luthfi Habibi-Dian Ramadhani Mukti won the mixed doubles, beating China's Feng Yi Lang-Li Meng Han 17-15, 8-15, 16-14. Japan's Oku Mahiro-Masato Yamashiro lost the boys' doubles final 15-10, 15-9 to a pair from Chinese Taipei.

Key takeaways

• Low Zi Yu-Genevie Lim beat Japan's Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio 15-7, 9-15, 15-12 in the final in Cairo on 17 October.
• They are the first Malaysian girls' doubles champions since the World Junior Championships began in 1992.
• Zi Yu, 16, had won silver in 2024 and 2025 with different partners.
• Their win beats Malaysia's previous best, Pearly Tan-Toh Ee Wei's silver in 2018.

FAQ

What was the score in the World Junior girls' doubles final? Low Zi Yu-Genevie Lim beat Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio of Japan 15-7, 9-15, 15-12. The match lasted 45 minutes.

Has Malaysia won the world junior girls' doubles title before? No. This is Malaysia's first title in the event since the championships began in 1992. Pearly Tan-Toh Ee Wei reached the final in 2018.

Who did Low Zi Yu partner in her previous world junior finals? She partnered Dania Sofea Zaidi in 2024 and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan in 2025. Both finals ended in silver.

Sources: The Star, Bernama, BWF, New Straits Times, Free Malaysia Today