In limbo: Tan Zhing Yi (left) has been ruled out of the Asian Team Championships after injuring her leg.
PETALING JAYA: The national squad will have to find a replacement for women’s doubles player Tan Zhing Yi after she was ruled out of the Asian Team Championships in Qingdao, China, which begins next Tuesday.
National women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak said that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on Tuesday revealed a muscle tear in Zhing Yi’s right leg.
The injury occurred while she was playing alongside partner Cheng Su Hui at the Indonesian Masters last week. The pair were scheduled to face Taiwan’s Hsu Ya-ching and Sung Yu-hsuan in the second round but had to withdraw, giving their opponents a walkover.
As a result, Zhing Yi and Su Hui also pulled out of this week’s Thailand Masters in Bangkok to allow Zhing Yi adequate time for treatment and recovery.
“We only received the MRI results today (Tuesday). In short, there is a tear there. We are now waiting for a second MRI, but it seems she will need a fairly long recovery period,” said Rosman.
He added that, for now, surgery is not necessary, though that could change depending on the results of the second scan.
At this stage, he is unable to give an exact timeline for Zhing Yi’s return to action. This uncertainty also means no decision has been made on who will partner Su Hui for the upcoming tournament.
“I am waiting for the second MRI and recommendations from the physiotherapy team on how long the recovery will take. Only then can I decide whether to change the pairing or try another combination. We need to settle Zhing Yi’s recovery first,” he added.
Besides Zhing Yi-Su Hui, the national women’s team will field pairs Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee and Chong Jie Yu-Vanessa Ng in the doubles event.
K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, Siti Zulaikha Azmi and Oo Shan Zhi will compete in the singles event.
Despite being drawn against hosts China in Qingdao, Malaysia can take some comfort knowing they have already secured a place in the quarter-finals, as there are only two countries in Group W.
Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.
