KUALA LUMPUR: Women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei has finally started full-time training this year after a long interval.
And the increased load and extra hours led to significant improvement in her playing style which showed at the Swiss Open.
She lost 21-9, 18-21, 22-24 in the second round in Basel but not after giving a good fight to second seed Supanida Katethong of Thailand on Thursday in a gruelling 59-minute battle.
This result is a significant improvement compared to her performances in the Malaysian Open and Indonesian Masters earlier this year.
In both January tournaments, she suffered early exits in the first round.
Her coach, Nova Armada, credited this progress to her relentless hard work and unwavering commitment to an intense training regimen over the past three months.
Nova also revealed that Jin Wei has now begun full training, practising six days a week at a high intensity.
“From January to March, she has been undergoing full training as her body is now able to handle intense sessions again,” said Nova.
“Previously, there were days when she couldn’t attend, and her training was not as consistent as it is now.
“So, it’s encouraging to see such promising results because the competition is getting tougher. Jin Wei must also be strong and resilient if she wants to succeed.”
Jin Wei underwent surgery in 2019 to remove part of her colon due to a chronic stomach condition, which affected her performances in recent years.
Following her campaign in Basel, she now shifts her focus to the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China from April 8-13.
“We hope she avoids top tier players.
‘‘If she ends up facing An Se-young (Kor) or Gregoria Mariska (Ina), it will definitely be tough.
Meanwhile, men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao’s challenge ended when he fell 17-21, 22-20, 20-22 to Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto after an exhausting one hour and 40-minute battle.
Top seeds Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie were the only Malaysian representatives to reach the quarter-finals when the husband-and-wife duo lived up to expectations with a hard-fought 20-22, 25-23, 21-11 victory over Thailand’s Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat.
They will face another Thai pair, Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran next.
