There were a couple of firsts for Malaysian shuttlers on the first day of the Total BWF World Championships which began in Nanjing, China on Monday.
Women’s singles players Soniia Cheah and Goh Jin Wei made a winning start in the world meet by winning their first-round matches in straight games.
Former junior world Jin Wei beat higher ranked Pai Yu-po of Chinese Taipei 21-8, 21-15 in 37 minutes to earn a second-round clash against14th seed Aya Ohori of Japan who had a first-round bye.
Soniia also faces a Japanese hurdle in the second round after a 21-13, 21-12win over Dutch shuttler Gayle Mahulette in 30 minutes. She plays Japan’s 15th seed, Sayaka Sato, next.
Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei got a confidence-boosting victory the pair were looking for as Khe Wei made a return to competitive badminton after a six-month layoff due to a knee injury she sustained in the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Alor Setar in February.
The Malaysians face a tough second-round match against Olympic champions Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi of Japan. The Japanese pair drew a first-round bye.
It was also a much awaited winning start for mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing – breaking a six-tournament winless jinx – to beat Liao Min-chun-Chen Hsiao-huan of Chinese Taipei 21-16, 21-15 in34 minutes.
In the second round, the Malaysians will take on No 10 seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand. RIZAL ABDULLAH
