Top singles shuttler undergoes op and will be out for six months

PETALING JAYA: Top women’s singles shuttler Sonia Cheah has undergone surgery for a torn Achilles tendon and will be out for at least six months.

The 19-year-old, who suffered the injury during training on Tuesday, sought treatment at the National Sports Institute (NSI) on Tuesday night before undergoing surgery yesterday morning.

It’s a sad end to the world No. 35, who has put in some strong performances this year and was expected to lead the women’s singles charge in the World Championships in Guangzhou, China, from Aug 5-11.

National women’s singles coach Wong Tat Meng was stunned by the severity of Sonia’s injury.

“The NSI confirmed that she tore her Achilles tendon and decided that she needed an operation,” said Tat Meng.

“That’ll put her out for at least three months before she’ll be able to do light training. My best guess is that she’ll only make a proper comeback next January ... probably for the Malaysian Open.

“It’s really quite unfortunate because she has really upped her level in training these past few weeks. Since Juliane Schenk (German world No. 4) joined us as sparring partner, Sonia has also shown remarkable improvement and was ready for the world meet.

“But accidents like these happen ... there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s important that she remain mentally strong and stay focused on recovering.”