Playing without pressure is the secret of national women’s singles player Eoon Qi Xuan’s success to create the tournament’s biggest upset. — Reuters pic
AARHUS, Oct 10 — Playing without pressure is the secret of national women’s singles player Eoon Qi Xuan’s success to create the tournament’s biggest upset on the opening day of Uber Cup, by edging Line Christophersen of Denmark.
Despite being ranked 100 rungs lower in the world ranking compared the world number 23 Christophersen, Qi Xuan bounced back from an 18-21 first set defeat to prevail in the next two sets, 21-18, 21-15 to give the first point to Malaysia in the match.
Speaking to the reporters after the match, the 2017 Asian Junior Championship silver medallist said she stepped into court without any pressure even though her opponent is far superior in terms of ranking, and Denmark were already on the brink of confirming a win with a 2-0 lead.
“Before playing, I do not think too much, I also did not expect anything, just want to give the best. During the match, I was nervous as we were trailing 0-2 but I just maintained my calm and was happy to contribute one point.
“In the second set, there was a point to point battle But I managed to ward off her attacks even though she was tall and her shots were very sharp. I was really happy with the win and it was really therapeutic for the next game.
“Against China after this, I will give my best…I have to boost my fighting spirit in court as sometimes when the opponent is catching up when I was really nervous,” she said.
The world number 12 women’s singles Mia Blichfeldt get the ball rolling for Denmark by defeating S. Kisona 21-11, 21-7, before Maiken Fruergaard-Sara Thygesen edged scratch pair Lee Meng Yean-M.Thinaah 21-19, 10-21, 21-13 in the first doubles.
Soon after Qi Xuan pulled back a point for Malaysia, the Danish confirmed their victory through Amalie Magelund-Freja Ravn’s 21-13, 21-19 win over Teoh Mei Xing-Yap Ling, while Line Kjaersfeldt defeated K. Letshanaa 21-18, 21-14 in the last match.
Meanwhile, team captain Meng Yean who jumped in to pair with Thinaah after the latter’s partner Pearly Tan was ruled out with shoulder injuries, said they need to be more consistent in the court to be able to challenge their opponents.
“The pairing is not a new thing as we have trained with different partners during training. We have played our best and were very happy about it but we need to improve a lot.
“When they started to play rally in the third set, we lack the consistency, I think we need to improve on that. For next match against China, I think everyone has to be prepared to give a good fight if fielded by the coaches,” she said.
Country’s first singles Kisona, said the opponent was in a different league compared to her in terms of experience, but the challenge only made her to work harder.
“This is the third time I am meeting players in the world’s top 20 and they are strong and I just have to catch up.
“I think I am going to expect the worst (in upcoming matches) because the coming opponent all really stronger than me, the difference always far away. I just have to start playing at my highest level and it really takes some time for me to challenge them, but I showed my fighting spirit in court,” she said.
The girls will next face another uphill task against China on Sunday 1.30pm (7.30pm Malaysian time) and complete the group level fixture against Canada on Monday 7pm (1 am Tuesday Malaysian time). — Bernama