Jin Wei shows maturity in her first win over Yamaguchi in six meetings

Gotcha: Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei returning a shot to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the first round yesterday.

HAS Goh Jin Wei come of age? Perhaps yes after the 18-year-old national women’s singles ace sensationally defeated world No. 5 Akane Yamaguchi in the first round of the Perodua Malaysian Masters yesterday.

Jin Wei notched her first triumph over Yamaguchi after six meetings in emphatic fashion, winning 21-14, 21-12 in just 33 minutes.

This is her third victory over world top 10 rivals, having previously beaten China’s He Bingjiao and South Korea’s Sung Ji-hyun.

Asked if this was her best performance ever, she said: “I think so. I really enjoyed the entire match and each shot that I made.

“Even if she (Yamaguchi) had given her 100%, I don’t think she would win.

She looked tense today.”

Jin Wei said the win over Yamaguchi has whetted her appetite to make amends for losses to other top ranked opponents.

“I’ve lost to the likes of (Carolina) Marin, (P.V.) Sindhu and (Nozomi) Okuhara. Hopefully, I’ll be able to win back next time,” vowed the two-time world youth champion.

But Jin Wei’s immediate focus is do well this week.

Awaiting her in the second round is world No. 42 Zhang Yiman of China and a win may set up a last-eight clash against Bingjiao, whom she hasn’t lost to before.

Being the sole survivor after the elimination of teammates Soniia Cheah and Lee Ying Ying, Jin Wei is determined to keep the host’s challenge alive in the women’s singles competition.

“After seeing my teammates being defeated, I told myself I must keep on fighting. It’s a home tournament, and we can’t let our fans down.”