Against the odds: K. Letshanaa, who is ranked 52nd, hopes to make an impact in her first appearance at the German Open.
KUALA LUMPUR: Women’s singles shuttler K. Letshanaa is determined to make the most of her German Open debut despite facing a tough opening-round clash against seventh seed Julie Dawall Jakobsen.
Her start to the year has been less than ideal, bowing out in the second round of the Indonesian Masters to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh.
She then endured a disappointing first-round exit at the Thailand Masters, losing to Taiwan’s Tung Ciou-tong.
Letshanaa admitted that her performance at the Asian Mixed Team Championships in Qingdao two weeks ago has boosted her confidence, especially after putting up a strong fight against Indonesia’s Komang Ayu before losing 12-21, 19-21.
Earlier in the tournament, she impressed by defeating Saloni Samirbhai Mehta, contributing to Malaysia’s 5-0 victory over Hong Kong.
If Letshanaa gets past Jakobsen, she could set up a rematch with Komang in the second round, as the Indonesian is expected to overcome Japan’s Hina Akechi without much trouble.
However, Letshanaa is focused on the immediate challenge, as she has never faced Jakobsen before.
On paper, the Malaysian is ranked 52nd in the world, while her Danish opponent sits at No. 34.
“Personally, I feel I’m improving under (Kenneth) Jonassen’s guidance. He has been helping us women’s singles players a lot in training.
“Obviously, I’m gaining confidence, but like I always say, I just give my best on any given day.
“There are so many players in the world, and 51 of them are ranked higher than me.
‘‘I don’t have a specific opponent I want to beat, if they are ranked above me, I will do my best to win,” said Letshanaa.
She will be joined at the tournament by compatriot S. Kisona, who must navigate the qualifying rounds, starting with a match against Spain’s Clara Azurmendi.
