PETALING JAYA: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen says the challenge will only get tougher for K. Letshanaa after rising to world No. 32.
This means Letshanaa is now eligible to compete in higher-tier tournaments such as Super 750 and Super 1000 events but at the same time, it also means she is likely to face elite players as early as the opening round.
Although Letshanaa has shown that she can compete with and even beat top players, most recently defeating world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki in the second round of the Malaysian Masters, it does not mean she can afford to get ahead of herself or become too comfortable.
Jonassen reminded her that she may have to accept some disappointing results at first but if she continues to work hard, good results will come.
“It is very important not to get ahead of yourself. Just because you’ve done it once does not mean it is going to happen every week,” said Jonassen.
“What matters is controlling what you can control, which is your emotions, how you play, how you make a plan, and how you execute it. These are the things within your control. Your emotions, your tactical plan and the discipline needed to carry it out.
“By continuing to give yourself opportunities through good preparation and by managing your emotions under pressure, you give yourself a chance to succeed and move forward. But it will be a rough path because at that level, you are also at the mercy of the draw.’’
Letshanaa’s impressive run in the Malaysian Masters came to an end in the quarter-finals after she went down 19-21, 21-12, 10-21 to Japan’s world No. 24 Hina Akechi. However, reaching the quarter-finals was still considered an impressive achievement, as the last Malaysian women’s singles player to make it that far was Goh Jin Wei in 2019.
Letshanaa will next compete in the Singapore Open, which begins next Tuesday, where she faces Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Chen Yufei in the opening round.
