KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — It’s a new year and a new start for singles shuttler Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin who just returned from a week-long break. 

The 25-year-old ended 2016 on the upswing, having performed his best at the China Open where he reached the semifinals before losing to Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark. 

But Iskandar isn’t looking to slow his pace anytime soon with expectations looming around him as one of the shuttlers to bring home a gold medal at the SEA Games this year.

"It’s my responsibility to produce a gold medal this year and I’m training hard for it,” he said. 

"Sometimes, I think about how stressful it is, and I freak out momentarily, but I’ve learned to always have a reset button handy especially in high-stress times.”

Iskandar started participating in Superseries events last year and will continue to do so this year despite short-term discouragement. 

"One thing I have learned from last year, is to never give up no matter how hard the going gets,” he said. 

"It’s no secret at one point I was down in the dumps for not producing the results I had expected of myself up until the end of last year, but I won’t beat myself up for it, the experience I get from Superseries events will prove useful for the SEA Games.” 

Ranked 34 in the world in November, Iskandar has successfully made it to 23rd rank and he hopes his rise will continue to remain steady.

"Top 20 was my target, but looking at it now, I might need to rethink my goals for the year,” said Iskandar. 

"I’m quite happy with how I’ve fared so far,” added Iskandar, who is participating in the Purple League. 

In the five matches he’s played for Petaling BC, he won three and lost two to Indonesian Tommy Sugiarto and Thai Thongnuam Pannawit.