PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s women’s campaign in the Uber Cup has come to an end, but one thing is clear - they have shown they are far from pushovers in this year’s competition.
Despite going down 3-0 to China in the quarter-finals, the national players competing at Forum Horsens, Denmark yesterday pushed their higher-ranked opponents all the way.
K. Letshanaa, fielded as the first singles, showed no fear against world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi.
She produced a spirited performance before going down 17-21, 18-21.
"It’s a match I can look back on. It’s never easy against an All-England champion, but I’m pleased I managed to push her and play my best on court.
"I’ve gained a lot from this match that I can take into future tournaments,” said Letshanaa in an interview with Badminton World Federation.
Letshanaa also believes facing top players has shown that she and her teammates are capable of matching them, with mental strength proving the key difference.
"Against players of that level, you can’t expect easy points. It comes down to staying consistent in every rally, cutting down unforced errors and just keeping the game going.
“More importantly, it’s about having a strong mentality. No matter the situation, they will fight until the end, so you have to do the same. You can’t give up halfway or expect things to come easy.
"That was the mindset and strategy we took into the match," she added.
The same can be said of Ong Xin Yee, who was reunited with Carmen Ting in the women’s doubles.
The decision to rest captain M. Thinaah and field Xin Yee-Carmen proved encouraging as they pushed world No. 1 pair Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning to a decider before losing 14-21, 21-16, 13-21.
Wong Ling Ching, who featured in the second singles, was outplayed by Olympic champion Chen Yufei, going down 10-21, 10-21.
Despite the defeat, the Malaysian players can take pride in ending a 16-year wait to reach the Uber Cup quarter-finals, having last achieved the feat in 2010 in Kuala Lumpur.
