Lesson Well Learnt - It hasn’t been the best of times for women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei (pic) since she returned from an ankle injury earlier this month.
She was beaten in straight games by China’s Chen Yufei in the second round of the Malaysian Open and then lost 16-21, 21-19, 13-21 to South Korea’s Sung Ji-hyun in the first round of the Singapore Open.
But the 17-year-old, who injured her ankle in January, believes that both the defeats will stand her in good stead at the Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) in Wuhan.
And the world No. 31, who meets world No. 5 and second seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the first round of the tournament proper today, is ready to step up her game.
“I’ve had a week since the Singapore meet to prepare for the ABC ... I’m in good shape now,” said the 2015 world junior champion.
“Although I lost in the first round in Singapore, it was a very close match ... and I gained some confidence from it.
“If I meet Ji-hyun again, I’ll definitely give her a run for her money. Now, I’m just focused on Yamaguchi. It’s rare to meet a player of her calibre ... I’ll definitely give her a fight.”
The other Malaysian women’s singles shuttler in the main draw is world No. 40 Soniia Cheah.
The 23-year-old should get past Iranian qualifier Soraya Aghaeihajiagha and meet sixth seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the second round.
World No. 47 Lee Ying Ying failed to join the pair in the main draw after being eliminated in the qualifying rounds yesterday.
The world No. 47 defeated Jordan’s Domou Amro 21-6, 21-8 in Group B but suffered a costly 19-21, 13-21 loss to world No. 56 Lee Jang-mi of South Korea.
Only the group winners progress into the main draw.
In men’s singles, world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei begins his quest for a third ABC title with a first-round clash against Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai today.
Other Malaysians in the fray are independent shuttlers Zulfadli Zulkiffli and Chong Wei Feng.
Three men’s doubles pairs – Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani – will also see action today.
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