Shuttler Crystal Brings Gold From Mongolia Challenge

2019 Mongolia International Challenge

At the end of four matches and nearly three hours of total court time, Singaporean duo Crystal Wong Jia Ying and Shinta Mulia Sari lifted the Women’s Doubles title at the 2019 Mongolia International Challenge.

Crystal, a final year student-athlete in Singapore Sports School’s Extended International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and her partner cruised through the first two rounds before an encounter with Pornnicha Suwatnodom and Pornpicha Choeikeewong of Thailand in the Semi-Finals which proved to be their toughest match of the tournament in Ulaanbaatar from 25 to 30 July 2019. Pornnicha and Pornpicha had earlier defeated No.1 seeds Pooja Dandu and Sanjana Santosh in the Quarter-Finals.

The Singaporean pair fought back from a first-set loss to win the next two sets and book their spot in the Final against Jang Eun Seo, the 2018 Victor Exist Jakarta Open Junior International Championships Under 19 Women’s Doubles gold medallist, and Jeong Na Eun. Crystal and Shinta faced stiff competition from their South Korean opponents in the Final as each pair won one set (15-21, 21-19) to force a decider, which resulted in a 21-18 victory in favour of the Singaporean duo.

In the Mixed Doubles event, alumna Tan Wei Han and compatriot Danny Bawa Chrisnanta successfully progressed into the Semi-Finals before being defeated 1-2 (15-21, 21-19, 17-21) by eventual gold medallists Chau Hoi Wah and Mak Hee Chun of Hong Kong.

RESULTS

Women’s Doubles

1st – Crystal Wong Jia Ying (with Shinta Mulia Sari)

Mixed Doubles

3rd – Tan Wei Han (with Danny Bawa Chrisnanta)