PETALING JAYA: It’s never easy to start all over again, but Tan Zhing Yi (pic) is willing to give it a try.
The 19-year-old Zhing Yi, who used to play in women’s singles, has switched to doubles earlier this month due to lack of results.
It is not her first time playing in the doubles as she had partnered Khor Jing Wen in the women’s doubles and competed in mixed doubles with Ong Ken Yon and Wong Vin Sean during her junior days.
Jing Wen was one of the shuttlers dropped by the Badminton Association of Malaysia last December while Ken Yon is currently playing in men’s singles while Vin Sean has formed a permanent men’s doubles partnership with Mohd Fazriq Mohd Razif.
Zhing Yi finished runner-up in the Singapore Youth International Series in 2018 before partnering Vin Sean to claim her first and only title in the Finnish Junior Open in 2021.
She has not seen any improvement in her performance since joining the senior team in December 2021 as she has consistently crashed out in the early rounds.
The furthest she has reached was the semi-finals of Uganda International Challenge in February, where she lost to eventual champion, K. Letshanaa.
Zhing Yi is hoping that she can produce better results in the doubles.
“I’ve decided to change because I felt that I can develop better in the doubles,” said Zhing Yi, who is currently ranked No. 177 in the world.
“I’ve been training with the doubles players for more than two weeks. Everything is going well so far, it’s just that the pace is faster compared to singles.
“I’ve played in all three events – women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles when I was a junior. I’m not worried about my rankings or starting from zero as all I have to do is go all out and fight for it.”
Zhing Yi is currently waiting for national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky and national women’s doubles coach Hoon Thien How to assign a partner for her.
