Letshanaa won't get carried away after stunner over ex-world champ Okuhara
PETALING JAYA: It is always satisfying to defeat a more established opponent, especially one who is a former world champion.
But women's singles shuttler K. Letshanaa (pic) is not getting carried away with her first-round triumph over 2017 world champion Nozomi Okuhara at the US Open on Wednesday. Instead, she knows that consistency is what truly matters.
Letshanaa needed just 31 minutes to send the Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist packing with an emphatic 21-8, 21-19 win.
Her teammate Wong Ling Ching also delivered a fine performance by edging fourth seed Hsu Wen-chi of Taiwan 21-17, 19-21, 22-20 in a hard-fought three-game battle.
Former men's singles player Roslin Hashim believes the victories are a timely morale boost for Malaysia's women's singles camp, which has long been seen as one of the weaker departments in the national squad.
Roslin hopes the wins will give Letshanaa and Ling Ching the belief they need to climb the world rankings steadily.
'This is a very encouraging sign for the women's singles squad,' said Roslin.
'Even if Okuhara was not at her best, the fact remains that Letshanaa managed to defeat a former world champion.
'That is a positive result and it shows that our women's singles players still have potential.
'But they must not become complacent. Too often, we see our players beat a big name only to fall at the next hurdle. What is important now is for them to stay consistent.'
Letshanaa will now aim to prove that her win over Okuhara was no fluke when she takes on India's Aakarshi Kashyap in the second round. It will be their first meeting, and their world rankings are close, with Aakarshi placed just one spot above Letshanaa at No. 50.
Ling Ching will face Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova, who is ranked No. 75 in the world.
Malaysia also have representation in the men's singles through Justin Hoh, who will take on Taiwan's Liao Jhuo-fu in the second round.
Justin had earlier cruised past Belgium's Julien Carragi 21-10, 21-10 in just 27 minutes.
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