PETALING JAYA: After a nine-year wait, women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei has finally broken her first-round jinx to advance to the second round of the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China.
And with her current form, she is poised to go even further in the tournament.
Her coach, Nova Armada, hailed Jin Wei’s 21-16, 21-13 victory over Taiwan’s world No. 18 Sung Shuo-yun as a significant achievement, especially after their previous encounter at the China Open in September, where Jin Wei lost in the first round following a tough three-set battle.
This time, however, it only took her 41 minutes to secure the win, and she will now face Thailand’s world No. 9, Supanida Katethong, in the next round.
“Jin Wei was recovering from diarrhoea, but everything was fine by the time she flew out on Saturday,” Nova said when contacted.
“Today (yesterday), she lived up to expectations and won as we had hoped. Now, she’s set to meet Katethong in the second round.”
Jin Wei first competed in the Asian Championships in 2016 at the age of 16, but she missed the 2019 edition. The tournament was also cancelled for the next two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, Jin Wei only returned to action in the 2023 edition, but the first-round curse continued to haunt her.
But now, Nova believes Jin Wei has improved both physically and mentally, and although Katethong has the advantage of a higher ranking and three previous victories over her, Jin Wei has a real chance of defeating her.
“After the Swiss Open, we had a discussion, and I could see that Jin Wei is in better shape now.
“She’s fitter, and with her current condition, she can definitely compete with Katethong. I believe she has a chance to win, though I know it won’t be easy,” Nova added.
“I’m hopeful that she can replicate her first-round performance against Katethong. If she does, a victory for Jin Wei is certainly within reach.”
Meanwhile, Jin Wei’s teammate, Wong Ling Ching, was unable to follow in her footsteps, falling to Indonesia’s Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi 17-21, 21-16, 17-21.
