BEATING JET LAG AND RIVAL

Thinaah wins at Bukit Jalil after 12-hour flight from Dutch Open

HAVING to readjust one’s body clock is not easy, but national women’s singles shuttler M. Thinaah is determined to go all the way in the Celcom Axiata Malaysia International Challenge at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara.

Yesterday, Thinaah, fresh from playing in the Dutch Open final on Sunday, checked into the second round after chalking up a comfortable 21-16, 21-9 win over Hong Kong’s Cheung Yin Mei.

While men’s singles Cheam June Wei and Leong Jun Hao, who were forced to retire on Tuesday following the 12-hour flight from Amsterdam, Thinaah was still going strong.

“I feel sorry for the boys (June Wei and Jun Hao) who had to rush to the stadium (Tuesday) without their luggage. I understand their situation. Thankfully for me, I got some rest today.

“It’s not easy, but I hope to go as far as I can in this tournament. With a few more matches, I should get back to my best,” said Thinaah, who hopes to represent Malaysia in the Uber Cup next month and the Asian Games in Indonesia in August.

“My main goal this year is to improve on my ranking. If I can do that, then I can play in bigger tournaments.

“Of course, I would also be honoured to represent my country in major tournaments,” added Thinaah, who bagged the Iran International Challenge title in February.

The 20-year-old, however, faces a tall order in the next round as she is up against World No 44, and Vietnam International Challenge champion Dinar Dyah Ayustine of Indonesia.

The other Malaysian women’s singles who reached the second round yesterday were Lim Yin Fun and third seed Lee Ying Ying.

It was, however, the end of the road for S. Kisona, who lost 21-13, 21-14 to Hong Kong qualifier Deng Joy Xuan in the first round.