KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian singles shuttlers enjoyed an encouraging start at the Thailand Masters on Wednesday, with Goh Jin Wei ending her long winless run in a result that carried echoes of close friend Lee Zii Jia’s recent breakthrough.
Former two-time world junior champion Jin Wei, now ranked No. 68, claimed her first win in five months after defeating Taiwan’s world No. 57 Huang Ching Ping 21-18, 21-23, 21-11 at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.
Jin Wei had gone winless in her previous five tournaments since pushing Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei in the second round of the Macau Open last July.
She will next face China‘s Han Qian Xi, with the pair meeting for the first time.
While there is no direct link between the two results, Jin Wei’s breakthrough came just a week after Zii Jia snapped his own 10-month drought at the Indonesia Masters — a timely boost for two players known to share a close friendship off court.
The former world No. 2 also made a winning start in Bangkok, beating Belgium’s Julien Carraggi 21-19, 21-11, and will next face India’s Mithun Manjunath, a familiar junior rival whom Zii Jia leads 3-1 in the head-to-head.
A deep run in Bangkok would further aid Zii Jia’s climb after he jumped from No. 103 to No. 79 in the latest world rankings.
Women’s singles shuttlers K. Letshanaa and Wong Ling Ching added to Malaysia’s positive day with first-round victories of their own.
World No. 38 Letshanaa, fresh from a career-best semi-final run at last week’s Indonesia Masters, brushed aside American Ishika Jaiswal 21-10, 21-15 in just 29 minutes.
World No. 43 Ling Ching, meanwhile, had to dig deep before prevailing in a 74-minute battle, beating Indonesia’s Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi 21-16, 27-29, 21-18 to avenge her loss to the same opponent at last year’s Asia Championships.
Ling Ching will next face Denmark’s seventh seed Julie Dawall Jakobsen, while Letshanaa takes on India’s Shriyanshi Valishetty.
In men’s doubles, former world junior champions Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing survived a stern test from younger teammates Lok Hong Quan-Faiq Haziq Masawi, rallying from a 10-5 deficit in the decider to win 12-21, 21-18, 21-15.
Aaron-Khai Xing will be aiming to replicate last year’s Super 300 triumph at the Syed Modi International in India but must first overcome China‘s Hu Ke Yuan-Lin Xiang Yi, who ended qualifiers Lau Yi Sheng-Lim Tze Jian’s run with a 22-20, 21-18 win.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
