Letshanaa ends drought with first World Tour win since July

KUALA LUMPUR: National women’s singles shuttler K. Letshanaa finally broke her dry spell on the World Tour after months of frustration, cruising past Taiwan’s Huang Ching Ping 21-9, 21-13 in the opening round of the Hylo Open on Tuesday.

The world No. 45 looked confident throughout the contest in Saarbrucken, sealing her first victory in a Super 300 and above tournament since July.

The win comes as a huge relief for the Letshanaa, who had suffered four consecutive first-round exits at the Macau Open, Hong Kong Open, Korea Open and French Open following her last main-draw success at the Canada Open (Super 300).

Letshanaa, who reached the quarter-finals at the Al Ain Masters (Super 100) in September, will next face Denmark’s experienced Mia Blichfeldt in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, it was a disappointing outing for Jacky Kok, who fell 19-21, 18-21 to Thailand’s former world championships bronze medallist Kantaphon Wangcharoen.

It marked Jacky’s first main draw appearance in a Super 500 tournament – one that ended earlier than he had hoped.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

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