Low Zi Yu-Genevie Lim beat China's Shi-Xiang 15-9, 15-11 to reach World Junior girls' doubles final

Low Zi Yu has reached her third straight girls' doubles final at the BWF World Junior Championships. She and her new partner Genevie Lim beat China's Shi Sichen-Xiang Yujin 15-9, 15-11 in Cairo on Friday (16 October). The Malaysians were already sure of a medal after their quarter-final win, and now they will play for gold. Their opponents are Japan's Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio.

A straight-games win over China

The Malaysian pair won both games under the 15-point junior format. They held off the Chinese pair in a closer second game to win 15-11. It was another dominant win for them. In the quarter-final they beat Hong Kong's Au-yeung Wing Chi-Chu Wing Chi 15-7, 15-7 in 22 minutes.

The other semi-final was also one-sided. Japan's Kamata-Kashio beat South Korea's Choi Ye-da-Kim Min-chae 15-10, 15-8. Zi Yu's other event ended earlier. She and Ahmad Redzuan Zulwaqqarizal were the mixed doubles top seeds but lost in the third round to South Korea's Jeong Seong-been-Kim Min-chae, 15-11, 15-17, 13-15.

Third final, third partner

This is a rare record for Zi Yu. In 2024 she reached the girls' doubles final with Dania Sofea Zaidi. The unseeded pair beat China's top seeds in the semi-finals but lost the final. In 2025 she partnered Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan and again took silver. Now she has made the final with Genevie, her third different partner in three years. She still has no individual World Junior gold medal, so Saturday is a chance to change that.

Zi Yu's year has already included the Asian Junior title. She also helped Malaysia reach the Suhandinata Cup mixed team final in Cairo earlier this month. Malaysia lost that final 2-1 to China.

Malaysia's last medal hope in Cairo

Zi Yu-Genevie are Malaysia's only representatives left in the individual events. The second-seeded boys' doubles pair, Isyraf Hafizin Ibrahim-Ahmad Redzuan Zulwaqqarizal, lost 15-7, 11-15, 9-15 in the quarter-finals to Japan's Oku Mahiro-Masato Yamashiro. The Japanese pair have since reached the boys' doubles final.

The other finals are:

• Boys' singles: an all-Indonesian final between Fardhan Rainanda Joe and Radithya Bayu Wardhana.
• Girls' singles: Japan's Saki Matsumoto against China's Zhang Yi Xin.
• Mixed doubles: China's Feng Yi Lang-Li Meng Han against Indonesia's Muhammad Luthfi Habibi-Dian Ramadhani Mukti.

What a title would mean

A girls' doubles gold would give Malaysia its first individual title at this year's championships. It would also finish a strong two weeks for the junior squad in Cairo. Silver is already guaranteed. Kamata-Kashio's straight-games wins mean they arrive in good form, so Malaysia's pair will need another clean performance.

Key takeaways

• Low Zi Yu-Genevie Lim beat China's Shi Sichen-Xiang Yujin 15-9, 15-11 in the semi-finals on 16 October.
• They face Japan's Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio in the girls' doubles final in Cairo on Saturday, 17 October.
• It is Zi Yu's third straight World Junior final, each with a different partner, after silvers in 2024 and 2025.
• They are Malaysia's last players left in the individual events, and silver is already guaranteed.

FAQ

Who did Low Zi Yu and Genevie Lim beat in the semi-finals? China's Shi Sichen and Xiang Yujin, 15-9, 15-11, on Friday, 16 October.

Who will they face in the final? Japan's Nijika Kamata and Shizuku Kashio, who beat South Korea's Choi Ye-da-Kim Min-chae 15-10, 15-8.

Has Low Zi Yu won a World Junior title before? No. She lost the girls' doubles final in 2024 with Dania Sofea Zaidi and in 2025 with Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan, so Saturday is her third try at gold.

Sources: BWF, The Star, Infinity Sport, Liga Olahraga, Malaysia Gazette