BANGKOK: Sarawakian Harith Danial Jefri starred as Malaysia secured spots in both the mixed and men’s jumbo doubles squash finals at the SEA Games, following dominant semi-final wins over Singapore today.
Harith teamed up with Sehveetrraa Kumar to dominate the mixed jumbo doubles semi-final 11-5, 11-3, before returning to court alongside Wa Sern Low to overcome Singapore 11-8, 11-1 in the men’s jumbo doubles last-four clash.
In the mixed event, Harith said the pair approached the match with renewed focus after learning from an earlier setback.
“Yesterday was definitely a wake-up call for us. Today we played with much more confidence and were better prepared after that loss.
“Tonight we’ll analyse the video, look at what went wrong yesterday and make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes. The key now is to rest well and be ready for the final,” he said when met here today.
The win sets up a final showdown against the Philippines.
Earlier, Harith also featured in the men’s jumbo doubles semi-final, where he partnered 19-year-old Wa Sern Low in what was the latter’s first appearance in the event at the Games.
“I think both of us were nervous at the start, especially since it was my partner’s first match in jumbo doubles. That’s normal.
“Because it was my third match in this event, I tried to calm him down and help him find his rhythm and length,” he added.
After a tight opening game, Malaysia gradually asserted control, drawing level at 7-7 before pulling away to take the first set 11-8. They carried that momentum into the second game, racing to a 3-0 lead and capitalising on their opponents’ fatigue to close out the match 11-1.
“It was all about teamwork on court. We told ourselves to start strong and finish the way we ended the first set, and that made the difference,” he explained.
Malaysia will now look to carry that confidence into the finals of both jumbo doubles events.
