PETALING JAYA: K. Letshanaa (pic) has not had much to celebrate in recent months, but the women’s singles shuttler has not forgotten the faith Kenneth Jonassen continued to show in her throughout her difficult spell.
Now, she hopes to repay that support with a strong showing at this week’s Denmark Open.
Letshanaa and teammate Wong Ling Ching have found results harder to come by since stepping up to higher-tier tournaments.
Letshanaa’s last deep run came at the Indonesian Masters in January, where she reached the semi-finals, while Ling Ching’s best result this year was also a semi-final appearance at the Thailand Masters in the same month.
Despite their recent struggles, Jonassen has continued to stand by both players, urging them to stay patient and trust the work being done under coach Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin.
“I’m personally very grateful to coach Kenneth because he is the kind of person who always supports the players, no matter how difficult the situation is.
“He was also a player before, so he understands what we are going through. He is always there behind us, backing us up and pushing us to perform at our best.
“I feel very grateful and lucky to have him as our head coach. I just want to give my best and make him proud at the same time,” said Letshanaa.
Letshanaa is scheduled to face world No. 12 Line Christophersen in the first round, with the Dane having beaten her at the same stage of the German Open last year.
Ling Ching, meanwhile, will take on Japan’s world No. 21 Riko Gunji, who has won both of their previous meetings, including their first-round clash at the Singapore Open in May.
