Power play: Malaysia’s Anna Cheong and Teoh Mei Xing in action during the Malaysian Masters last year. Right: Japan’s Sayaka Hirota.
PETALING JAYA: Women’s doubles shuttler Anna Cheong is hoping to draw inspiration from Japan’s Sayaka Hirota in her bid to rediscover her best form after making her return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee this year.
Anna made her comeback to competitions along with Teoh Mei Xing in August after she was sidelined for nearly a year.
Hirota, who was once ranked No. 1 in the world with Yuki Fukushima, suffered the same injury just two months before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Hirota wore a leg brace and heroically competed in the Olympics at home with Fukushima after refusing to undergo surgery which would have ruled her out.
The pair reached the quarter-finals before losing in three games to China’s eventual silver medallists Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan.Hirota then did go under the knife and struggled to get back to her best for a year.
The 29-year-old though seems close to her old form now after capturing the Asian Championships title in April with Fukushima.
The pair also finished runners-up in the Indonesian Open and Masters, China Masters and Swiss Open this year.
“Hirota really inspires me. She took some time to get back to her best with Fukushima but managed to get there eventually,” said Anna, who was ranked No. 17 in the world with Mei Xing before her injury layoff.
“When I see a top player like her coming back from the same injury, it really motivates me to keep going.
“Recovering from an injury like this and returning to court is a tough process and I really appreciate every match I get to play in.
“I want to prove to myself that I can reach a higher level after this injury.”
Anna-Mei Xing did well to work their way up from No. 251 to end their year at No. 64.
The pair are set to compete next in the Malaysian Open from Jan 9-14 in Bukit Jalil where they will go up against South Korea’s world No. 2 Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee in the first round.
