Pint-sized shuttler Siti hopes to take big strides to success

PETALING JAYA: Pint-sized Siti Nurshuhaini Azman believes her height will not stop her from becoming a world-class badminton player.

Standing at just 1.54m, the 17-year-old aims to model her game after reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.

Yamaguchi, who is 1.56m tall, is one of the few women shuttlers whose lack of height did not stop them from becoming successful – among them her compatriot Nozomi Okuhara, the 2017 world champion.

“While being one of the shorter players out there definitely has its disadvantages, I don’t see that as a major problem.

“We have seen how players like Yamaguchi still flourish despite their short stature.

“I love watching Yamaguchi and I study her style of play. I learned and tried to adopt them into my game.

“What impressed me about Yamaguchi is that her stroke is so powerful for a player of her height. She also moves very fast on the court,” said Siti.

Siti, who was promoted to the senior team last month, said she is currently working on her strength and endurance.

“In order to make up for my lack of height, I need to be able to hit powerful shots and be good defensively.

“I want to be a player who can withstand attacks and save all kinds of shots from my opponent,” she said.

Siti, who made her Uber Cup Finals debut last year, is relishing the chance to represent Malaysia in the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam next week.

As the third-highest ranked Malaysian women’s singles player behind world No. 64 S. Kisona, Siti (309th) can expect to be called into action.

The others are Eoon Qi Xuan (126th), Myisha Khairul (369th) and Tan Zhing Yi (1484th).

“If I get a chance to play, I will try my best to win a point for the country,” vowed Siti.

“I’m thrilled after being named in the squad for the second time. Having gained invaluable experience at the Uber Cup Finals, I believe I’m more prepared this time.”

At the Aarhus Finals, Siti was handed a 8-21, 3-21 thrashing by China’s He Bingjiao.

Although there remains a big gap between her and elite rivals, Siti has shown that she is already ready to contend in the lower-tier tournaments.

Last year, she emerged runner-up at the Czech Open and was a semi-finalist at the Slovenian International.