Sannatasah books her ticket to Copenhagen

Ex-national women's shuttler Sannatasah Saniru has qualified for the World Championships in Copenhagen in August. - Filepic

PETALING JAYA: Despite being just a club player from KBSPA (Kelab Badminton Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam), shuttler Sannatasah Saniru has managed to qualify for the World Championships in Copenhagen from Aug 25-31.

The 23-year-old Sabah-born will join Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) Tee Jing Yi to represent the country in the women’s singles event at the seven-day championships.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) have released the list of qualifiers and a country can have up to two shuttlers in the championships if both are ranked inside the top 150. A country can have a maximum of three players if all of them are ranked in the top 24.

Sannatasah quit the national team a year ago and has former international Razif Sidek, World Championships silver medallist, to thank for realising her dream.

Sannatasah, who was not selected for the Uber Cup Finals in New Delhi later this month, is ranked 76th while Jing Yi is the country’s top ranked player at No. 53.

Malaysia will only have two representatives in the men’s singles this time with world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei and 25th-ranked Chong Wei Feng making the cut.

Liew Daren’s hopes of making a trip to Copenhagen is over as he dropped to No. 66.

This is the first time in many years that Malaysia will not have the maximum of three entries in the men’s singles.

Malaysia also have only two pairs in the men’s doubles. Only Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong, the world No. 7, and 19th-ranked Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem make the cut.

Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong could have been the third pair to qualify as they are ranked 24th, but Kien Keat has quit the national team.

Ng Hui Lin-Ng Hui Ern and Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei, ranked 24th and 30th respectively, are the qualifiers for the women’s doubles.

In the mixed doubles, world No. 8 Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying and Ong Jien Guo-Lim Yin Loo, ranked 71st, are Malaysia’s representatives.

Only Chong Wei won a medal in last year’s championships. He lost to Lin Dan of China in the final in Guangzhou.