Ying Ying dismisses talks of her being Malaysia’s secret weapon

THE decision by BAM not to pick women’s singles Lee Ying Ying for the Asia Team Championships could well be a blessing in disguise for her.

Instead of being in Alor Star for the Asian Team event which starts today, Ying Ying was sent to Tehran to compete in the Iran International Challenge, where she is the top seed.

The women’s team face a tall order in Alor Star where they need to make the semi-finals for a Uber Cup slot.

However, they could still make it to the Uber Cup based on their world ranking.

The Badminton World Feder- ation (BWF) will take into account the points accumulated by a country’s top three players in singles and top two pairs to decide their rankings.

The additional slots for the Uber Cup will be based on February’s world ranking.

World No 46 Ying Ying is ranked third in Malaysia behind Soniia Cheah and 2015 world junior champion Goh Jin Wei.

It is learnt that Ying Ying was sent to Iran to improve Malaysia’s overall ranking.

The Perak-born, however, rubbished talks over being Malaysia’s secret weapon.

“I don't think I’m Malaysia’s se- cret weapon or anything close to that. In fact, it never crossed my mind at all.

“However, if I can contribute in any way to help Malaysia reach the Uber Cup, then I will.

“I just want to give my best and improve my game,” said Ying Ying.

Ying Ying, who made quarterfinal appearances at the Thailand Masters and Malaysia Masters, opens her campaign against Iran’s Sara Delavari Kashani in Tehran.

On her target, she said: “I hope to reach the semi-finals first and anything more will be a bonus.” Fabian Peter