KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — Goh Jin Wei lost to world No. 1 and defending champion Tai Tzu Ying 21-15, 21-15 at the quarterfinals stage of the Celcom Axiata Malaysian Open 2018 but she made a good account of herself as the only surviving women shuttler on day four of competition.
The 2016 World Junior Champion took out Pai Yu Po 21-13, 21-17 in the first round on Tuesday and then beat seventh seed Sung Ji-hyun from South Korea 15-21, 21-18, 23-21 yesterday.
In her highest profile match to date, the odds were stacked against the pint-sized Penangite.
However, Jin Wei, ranked 31 in the world, is made of sterner stuff and put up a fight in front of thousands of fans who came to see her at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
“I felt in order to see how good I was or how close I can get to her level, I needed to play to a very high standard,” said the 18-year-old.
“I was going all out against her but she killed the points very fast. In the end, it was a battle of attrition where she controlled most of the points and I was reacting to them.
“I know now where I stand compared to her and one of the glaring things I noticed is the difference in speed. She is fast and I saw a lot of openings in my game that my opponent can exploit.
“I’m disappointed at the loss but realistically, she is a level above me. I will kick it up a notch in training to improve. As for whether I can ever reach the dizzying heights of the world’s top shuttler, I do not know. I’ll take it one step at a time.”
