PETALING JAYA: Goh Jin Wei's bid to improve her world ranking ahead of January's Malaysian Open has suffered a setback after a right knee injury forced her to withdraw from next week's Hong Kong Open.
The 26-year-old independent shuttler sustained the injury during her first-round match against Taiwan's Lin Ting-yu at the Taiwan Masters on Wednesday (Nov 11).
Trailing 3-8 at the Kaohsiung Arena, Jin Wei retired after appearing to twist her knee while turning to return a shot.
Her coach Nova Armada has decided not to risk aggravating the injury and withdrawn her from the Hong Kong Open, where she was due to face Taiwan's Pai Yu-po in the qualifying round.
A win would have secured her a place in the main draw.
"She appeared to have twisted her knee while trying to turn and return a shot during the match.
"She will undergo an MRI scan to determine the extent of the injury, but for now, she is still able to walk.
"She will definitely miss the Hong Kong Open, but if the MRI results show nothing serious, she could return to competition in India after about 10 days of rest," said Nova.
Jin Wei could return at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow from Nov 24-29, provided her recovery goes smoothly.
Currently ranked world No. 55, she has little time left to improve her standing and boost her chances of securing a place in the Malaysian Open.
However, the expansion of the singles draw from 32 to 48 players under the new tournament format could work in her favour.
With Jin Wei out, Malaysia will have only two representatives in the Hong Kong Open women's singles event.
K. Letshanaa will face Indonesia's sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani in the opening round, while Wong Ling Ching takes on American Ishika Jaiswal.
