Singapore: After winning his first local title at the Perak Open on July 30th, Malaysian shuttler Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin added another feather in his cap after winning his maiden international badminton title at the Singapore International Series on Saturday.
The world No. 93 Iskandar came the final in red-hot form right from the start and blasted compatriot and former Asian junior champion Soo Teck Zhi in straight sets 21-11, 21-15 to clinch the Singapore International Series. Iskandar came out on top in a grueling semi-finals battle against No. 4 seeds Soong Joo Ven, winning 22-20, 17-21, 21-17 to en route to the title.
“I am undoubtedly very exciting to win my first international crown. I’ve gotten a boost in confidence after the Perak Open win. However, I cannot be too satisfied with this win, I need to continue winning and continue improving,” said Iskandar.
Iskandar enjoyed a 3-0 career head-to-head lead over Soong Joo Ven after the win on Saturday.
Unseeded men’s doubles pair Terry Hee-Loh Kean Hean of Singapore continued their stellar run of form at the tournament, coming from behind to topple No. 7 seed Hardianto Hardianto/Kenas Adi Haryanto of Indonesia, winning 13-21, 21-16, 21-19 to keep the men’s doubles trophy on home soil.
Meanwhile, Indonesia claimed 3 titles at the tournament after Apriani Apriani/Jauza Fadhila Sugiarto, Gregoria Mariska, and Hafiz Faisal/Shella Devi Aulia triumphed over their opponents in women’s doubles, women’s singles, and mixed doubles finals respectively.
