KUCHING:It took 75 minutes, three games and a deuce finish in the decider, but Wong Ling Ching eventually overcame India’s Aakarshi Kashyap 21–19, 19–21, 22–20 to book her place in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
As the higher-ranked player at world No. 34, Ling Ching entered the contest with the advantage on paper. Yet Kashyap, ranked world No. 69, ensured there would be nothing straightforward about the encounter, pushing the Sarawakian all the way before the Malaysian finally prevailed in a tense finish.
Ling Ching had looked on course for a straight-sets victory after edging a tightly contested opening game 21–19 and moving within touching distance of the finish line in the second.
However, an old foe resurfaced at the worst possible moment.
A string of unforced errors crept into her game, allowing Kashyap to claw her way back into contention before stealing the second set 21–19 and forcing a decider.
The third game proved every bit as demanding.
Ling Ching raced into a 7–3 lead before a revitalised Kashyap responded to level the contest at 7–7.
The Malaysian regained the initiative to carry a slender 11–10 advantage into the interval, but neither player was able to establish a decisive cushion as the match entered its closing stages.
The deeper the match went, the less it became about strokes and tactics. It was now a question of resolve – of who could stay composed while everything around them tightened.
With the decider hanging in the balance, Kashyap continued to apply pressure and repeatedly found answers whenever Ling Ching threatened to pull away.
Locked at 17–17, the contest remained delicately poised.
The Indian’s persistence eventually forced a deuce at 20–20, setting up one final twist in a match already filled with momentum swings.
But Ling Ching refused to let the opportunity slip.
The Sarawakian produced the decisive points when they mattered most, claiming the next two rallies to complete a hard-earned 22–20 victory and secure her passage into the second round.
Elsewhere, Justin Hoh advanced after overcoming India’s Kiran George 21–19, 14–21, 21–15 in a hard-fought men’s singles clash.
Mixed doubles pairs Hoo Pang Ron–Lai Pei Jing and Jimmy Wong–Cheng Su Yin also progressed after recording straight-games victories over Australia’s Michael Owen–Gronya Somerville and Australia’s Andika Ramadiansyah–Nozomi Shimizu respectively.
One of the most dominant performances of the day came from Loo Bing Kun and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan, who needed just 15 minutes to sweep aside Germany’s Calvin Devereux and Desiree Toepffer 21–1, 21–3, conceding only four points throughout the match.
In women’s doubles, Low Zi Yu and Noraqilah Maisarah continued their encouraging run after following up their upset victory over Taiwan’s world No. 8 pair Hsieh Pei Shan–Hung En-Tzu with another convincing win to progress further in the tournament.
There were also encouraging signs from Eogene Ewe despite narrowly missing out on a place in the next round.
The 21-year-old pushed Hong Kong China’s former world No. 13 Lee Cheuk Yiu to three games before eventually falling 18–21, 21–12, 18–21, showcasing his growing maturity against an opponent ranked 54 places above him.
Lee Zii Jia’s campaign ended in the opening round, though the Malaysian mounted a spirited second-game fightback before going down 13–21, 22–24 to Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia Hao.
Malaysia were also without Goh Jin Wei, who was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to visa complications.
