“I was born in the year of the rooster ... so, I’m hoping it will be a good year for me as far as my badminton career is concerned,” said the 23-year-old Soniia.
Sonia’s first assignment for the year is the Malaysian Masters, which will begin in Sibu, Sarawak, on Tuesday – and she’s all excited about getting off to a splendid start.
“This is my first home tournament after my injury ... I’m looking forward to a good showing. It’s always nice to play in front of the home fans,” said Soniia, who only returned to full-time training a year ago.
She last competed in the Malaysian Masters in 2013. Soon after, she was floored by an Achilles rupture.
The unseeded world No. 61 is in the top half of the Malaysian Masters draw with top seed Saina Nehwal of India, fourth seed Hsu ya-ching of Taiwan, fifth seed Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong and eight seed Fitriani Fitriani of Indonesia.
Soniia faces a qualifier in the opening round and will meet either Fitriani or compatriot Ho Yen Mei in the second round.
“The women’s singles field is quite competitive. I have a challenging second-round match. My goal is to reach at least the quarter-finals,” said the former national No. 1, who won the Belgian International Series last September.
Soniia, who once reached the world No. 34 spot, is grateful that national coach Rony Agustinus has pushed her hard in training as it has helped her work her way back to fitness.
“I’m training under coach Rony this new year. I’ve adapted quickly to his style of coaching. He is understanding and knows what I need to fast track my progress,” said Soniia, who trained under former national coach Kwan Yoke Meng last year.
“Now, I do a lot of gym work. My focus is on building my endurance.
“It’s tough, but I agree with my coach that the only way to improve is to be physically fit.
“I hope to break into the top 30 in the world by end of the year.”
Soniia is the country’s third ranked national singles player after world No. 31 Goh Jin Wei and world No. 58 Yen Mei.
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