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.
For Aidil, with just four months left before 2025 comes to a close, he is confident of breaking into the world’s top 32, which would in turn allow him to compete in higher-tier tournaments such as the Malaysian Open, expected to be held in January next year.
Several tournaments have also been lined up for Aidil in September, including the China Masters in Baoji (Sept 2-7), the Hong Kong Open (Sept 9-14) and the Indonesian Masters (Sept 16-21).
However, the Selangor-born shuttler has set his sights on at least reaching the final of a Super 100 event, such as the Malaysia Super 100 in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, from Oct 14-19.
This year, Aidil has so far won just one title, which came at the Sri Lanka International Challenge in March.
“In these four months, I have a chance to improve my world ranking and I will give it my all,” said Aidil when met at Sports Affairs in Cheras.
“This year I have one title, but it was only at the International Challenge level. If I can add another, preferably a Super 100 title, it will offer more ranking points even if I only reach the final, and that will help me climb the rankings faster.''
Aidil has also drawn inspiration from China Open finalist Wang Zhengxing, who has steadily climbed to No. 16 in the world and proved his mettle by defeating several top players in the tournament.
Among his victims were Kodai Naraoka, Christo Popov and Anders Antonsen before he went down to compatriot Shi Yuqi in the final.
Interestingly, just two months before the China Open, Aidil had beaten Zhengxing in the first round of the Thailand Open.
“I admit I was quite surprised to learn that Zhengxing reached the final of the China Open. This is no ordinary tournament as it is a Super 1000 event, and he managed to defeat some top players.
“I also feel it is not impossible for me to do the same, especially since I recently beat him.
“I believe I need a better game plan on court and, at the same time, I must play well. My fitness also needs to improve if I want to compete with top players,” he added.
