Letshanaa's birthday wish? Strong debut at Paris World C'ships
The world No. 40 is part of a special training camp arranged by Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen.
She is joined by men's singles players Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh as they prepare for the Paris showpiece, which begins on Aug 25.
Letshanaa, who turned 21 on Tuesday, enjoyed a birthday selfie with Denmark's world No. 26 Mia Blichfeldt, who was also celebrating on the same day.
"Denmark has four or five players in the top 50, so for me this will be a challenging and valuable experience," she said in a video posted by BAM on Wednesday.
Other Danish women's singles players in the top 50 include world No. 19 Line Kjaersfeldt, No. 28 Line Christophersen and No. 32 Julie Jakobsen.
Letshanaa has enjoyed a steady season with quarter-final runs at the Taiwan Open in May and the US Open in June.
But she is keeping her expectations modest ahead of her maiden Worlds outing.
"This is my first World Championships. I'm happy and excited, but I just want to give my best," she said.
Independent shuttler Goh Jin Wei will also represent Malaysia in the women's singles.
The nation has never won a women's singles medal at the World Championships.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Sinner to start US Open against Kopriva, Sabalenka faces tricky test
Defending champion Jannik Sinner, who has been recovering from illness, received a more favourable route to the US Open final than Carlos Alcaraz while Aryna Sabalenka will be tested in her bid to retain her title after the draw was made on Thursday. Top seed Sinner's health has come into focus since he withdrew from the Cincinnati final on Monday while trailing Carlos Alcaraz 5-0. He later withdrew from the since-completed mixed doubles event in New York. Sinner, who increased his Grand Slam tally to four with wins at this year's Australian Open and Wimbledon, will open against Czech Vit Kopriva and could face fifth seed Jack Draper in the quarter-finals, third seed Alexander Zverev in the semis and Alcaraz in the final. Reigning French Open champion Alcaraz, in a stacked bottom half of the draw, will begin against American Reilly Opelka and his road to the final could include a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton and 2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz in the semi-final. Four-times champion Novak Djokovic, seeded seventh, will start against Learner Tien and could face Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round and fourth seed Fritz in the quarters before a blockbuster semi-final against Alcaraz. In the women's draw, top seed Sabalenka will begin against Rebeka Masarova and her fortnight could include a quarter-final date with Cincinnati finalist Jasmine Paolini, a semi-final with Jessica Pegula and final date with Wimbledon winner Iga Swiatek. Second seed Swiatek, fresh off winning her tune-up event in Cincinnati, will start against Colombia's Emiliana Arango and could face Amanda Anisimova in a quarter-final that would be a rematch of their lopsided Wimbledon final. French Open champion Coco Gauff, the third seed, could face sixth seed and fellow American Madison Keys, who won this year's Australian Open, in the quarter-finals before a possible date with Swiatek. Twice champion Venus Williams, who received a wildcard into the main draw and will be playing in her first Grand Slam since losing in the first round of the 2023 US Open, will face No. 11 seed and twice semi-finalist Karolina Muchova. Among some other first-round matchups, twice winner Naomi Osaka, the 23rd seed, will face Belgian Greet Minnen, while Victoria Mboko, the 18-year-old Canadian who two weeks ago triumphed in Montreal for her first WTA Tour title, will open against two-times Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova. The singles tournaments at the year's final Grand Slam, where the men's and women's singles winners will earn US$5 million each, begin on Sunday.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Sinner faces Kopriva in US Open first round as Sabalenka draws Masarova
DEFENDING champion Jannik Sinner received a favourable route to the US Open final despite recent illness concerns. Top seed Sinner will open his title defence against Czech player Vit Kopriva in the first round. Sinner withdrew from the Cincinnati final while trailing Carlos Alcaraz 5-0 due to health issues. He later withdrew from the mixed doubles event in New York as he continues his recovery. The Italian champion could face fifth seed Jack Draper in the quarter-finals if both progress. Third seed Alexander Zverev potentially awaits in the semi-finals for Sinner. A final against second seed Carlos Alcaraz remains a possibility for the defending champion. Reigning French Open champion Alcaraz will begin against American Reilly Opelka. Alcaraz faces a challenging path that could include Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals. 2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz potentially awaits Alcaraz in the semi-finals. Four-time champion Novak Djokovic begins against Learner Tien as the seventh seed. Djokovic could face Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round and Fritz in the quarters. A blockbuster semi-final against Alcaraz looms for the Serbian legend. In the women's draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka faces Rebeka Masarova in her opener. Sabalenka's potential quarter-final opponent is Cincinnati finalist Jasmine Paolini. Jessica Pegula could await in the semi-finals for the defending champion. A final against Wimbledon winner Iga Swiatek remains a possibility for Sabalenka.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Olympic champion Khelif denies ‘malicious' claims of retirement
OLYMPIC boxing champion Imane Khelif has denied claims made by her former manager that she has retired from the sport, saying she is still training regularly. Algerian Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting were in the spotlight at the Paris Games last year over their eligibility after they had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the IBA, which said sex chromosome tests had ruled them ineligible. However, they competed in the women's category in Paris after being cleared by the International Olympic Committee, with both winning gold medals in their weight classes. Khelif has not competed since her win in Paris. In an interview with French newspaper Nice-Matin on Wednesday, Khelif's former manager Nasser Yesfah said she had 'left the world of boxing'. In a follow-up interview with the same newspaper hours later, Yesfah clarified he was only referring to Khelif's boxing commitments in the city of Nice, where she was previously part of the Nice Azur club. Khelif criticised Yesfah's comments in a post on Facebook on Wednesday. 'It is based solely on statements made by a person who no longer represents me in any way, and whom I consider to have betrayed my trust and my country with his false and malicious statements,' Khelif wrote. 'I have never announced my retirement from boxing. I remain committed to my sporting career, training regularly and maintaining my physical fitness between Algeria and Qatar in preparation for upcoming events. 'The publication of such rumours is intended solely to disrupt and damage my sporting and professional career.' Khelif had been due to compete in a World Boxing tournament in the Netherlands in June, but opted to skip it shortly after the governing body initially announced its plans to introduce sex testing for all boxers in its competitions. World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst later apologised after Khelif was named in their announcement on mandatory sex testing, saying her privacy should have been protected. Khelif, 26, has repeatedly said she was born a woman and has a long history in female boxing competitions. In March, she said she would defend her title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. - Reuters
