Spread your Wings
Lim out to prove he’s ready for world stage
PETALING JAYA: It feels like wind beneath his wings. Shuttler Lim Chi Wing’s fierce motivation to make his name in more Badminton World Federation (BWF) Tour tournaments is driving him to land a third national title.
And the 23-year-old made his intention clear by advancing into the second round convincingly with a 21-16, 21-17 win over Jimmy Tay at the Perak Badminton Arena yesterday.
Standing in the fifth seed’s way for a place in the last eight is Sim Fong Hau. If he gets through, Chi Wing is expected to face third seed Soong Joo Ven in the semi-finals.
Chi Wing feels he must reach at least the final to show he’s ready to feature in more BWF Tourtournaments.
Last year, he competed more in lower-tier international series and challengetournaments. Chi Wing has yet to get a chance to feature in a BWF event this year.
“I think if my result is good enough, I’ll have a chance to go for more tournaments because in my last few, my results were not very good,” said Chi Wing.
“So it’s very important for me to deliver here. There’s some pressure but I’m sure I can do well.”
The two-time national champion is not taking any opponent for granted.
“For me, everyone’s levelhas gone up, even the juniors are also challengers and anyone can be a champion – so I have to take every match seriously.”
The top three players – new national No. 1 Lee Zii Jia, Joo Ven and Leong Jun Hao – have advanced to the second round.
But Chi Wing believes he can upset his higher-ranked national teammates.
“I feel we all have a 50-50 chance and if I can just focus on every match, I can beat anyone.
“This is also my first tournament of the year, so I’ve been preparing for a while and I feel confident and ready.”