Ranking rise fuels Aidil's ambition

National men’s singles shuttler Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin in action while against Taiwan’s Huang Yu-kai during the qualifying round of Malaysia Masters at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Tuesday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles player Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin is only 10 spots shy of realising his goal of breaking into the world’s top 32.

Aidil is currently at No. 42 in the world and is the country’s third-best men’s singles player behind Leong Jun Hao (No. 25) and Justin Hoh (No. 37). Former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia, despite holding a protected ranking from the Badminton World Federation (BWF), has slipped to No. 52.