AIMING TO BOUNCE BACK
Soniia on redemption mission at French Open
NATIONAL No 1 Soniia Cheah has much to prove at the French Open next month. On Wednesday, the women’s singles shuttler admitted she was disappointed after two early round defeats at the recent Korea and Japan Opens.
“I had expected better results, especially after the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games but I just did not play well in both the Super Series.
“At the Korea Open, I had expected to clear the first round but lost (to South Korea’s Lee Jang Mi) in straight games.
“I will be competing in another Super Series tournament (French Open) next month, and I hope to do better,” said Soniia, who settled for the Sea Games silver medal last month, after going down to teammate Goh Jin Wei in the final.
On her condition and training programme under newly assigned women’s singles head coach Tey Seu Bock, Soniia said: “He (Seu Bock) is a great coach.
“He has a great programme and puts in a lot of effort. But I admit it is sometimes tough to follow because of his high expectations.
“Having said that, the two key areas that I will need to work on are confidence and mental strength.”
Soniia, who nearly called it quits in 2013 after suffering an Achilles tendon injury, made a comeback three years later, and is hoping to break into the world top 20 by December.
Her best result this year was reaching the final of the Russian Open GP in July.