KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Goh Jin Wei is taking the positives from her battling performance in the second round of the Malaysian Open.
Jin Wei, who was the sole home representative in the women’s singles, gave Indonesia’s world No. 7 Gregoria Mariska a tough fight especially in the second game before going down 15-21, 22-24 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
It was a much better display from the world No. 31 compared to her last meeting against Gregoria in the third round of the Hangzhou Asian Games last October where she lost 6-21, 12-21.“I really gave everything in the match today (yesterday). I didn’t think I could take her beyond 20 points. The pressure was more on Gregoria,” said Jin Wei.
“I was more aggressive in the second game but she handled the situation better during the crucial points. My physical condition was better than in the Asiad but I still need to work harder to close the gap to the top players,” added Jin Wei.
Jin Wei, who underwent colectomy surgery in 2019, has been working on improving her stamina after going through a tough 2023 where she suffered first-round exits in 14 out of 21 individual competitions.
The 23-year-old though remains in the hunt to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, Jin Wei’s fighting spirit drew praises from Gregoria.
“I have been playing against Jin Wei since our junior days and she was a really good player but health issues prevented her progress,” said Gregoria.
“I’m happy to see that her condition has improved and she played so much better than the last time we met in the Asiad.
“We go through their own struggles but it’s good to see that she is still highly motivated to continue playing badminton at the highest level,” added the Indonesian, who will take on China’s reigning Olympic champion Chen Yufei in the quarter-finals today.
