KUCHING: National shuttler Wong Ling Ching is about to enter unfamiliar territory – and perhaps one of the biggest week of her career so far.
The Miri-born Sarawakian has been promoted into the main draw of the Singapore Open following several withdrawals ahead of the Super 750 tournament, handing her a late opportunity to compete among badminton’s elite names.
Awaiting Ling Ching in the opening round tomorrow is Japan’s Riko Gunji, whom she currently holds a 0-1 head-to-head record against.
For the Sarawakian, the Singapore Open arrives at a crucial time ahead of the BWF World Championships in August, with the tournament now serving as another measuring stick against higher-ranked opposition.
The Singapore Open begins tomorrow and is set to conclude on May 31.
Malaysia meanwhile will field representatives across all five categories at the tournament.
Men’s Singles:
- Leong Jun Hao vs Lee Chia Hao
- Justin Hoh vs Christo Popov
Women’s Singles:
- Wong Ling Ching vs Riko Gunji
- K. Letshanaa vs Chen Yufei (Defending Champion)
Men’s Doubles:
- Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik vs Christo Popov–Toma Junior Popov
- Goh Sze Fei–Nur Izzuddin Rumsani vs Chen Cheng Kuan–Liu Kuang Heng
- Junaidi Arif–Yap Roy King vs Takumi Nomura–Yuichi Shimogami
- Nur Azriyn Ayub–Tan Wee Kiong vs Kang Khai Xing–Aaron Tai (All-Malaysian battle)
- Goh V Shem–Choi Sol Gyu (KOR) vs He Zhi-Wei–Huang Jui-Hsuan
Women’s Doubles:
- Pearly Tan–Thinaah Muralitharan vs Hu Ling Fang–Jheng Yu Chieh
- Chong Jie Yu–Vanessa Ng vs Bengisu Ercetin–Nazlıcan Inci
Mixed Doubles:
- Goh Soon Huat–Shevon Lai Jemie vs Kim Jae Hyeon–Jang Ha Jeong
- Hoo Pang Ron–Lai Pei Jing vs Chen Tang Jie–Toh Ee Wei (All-Malaysian battle)
- Jimmy Wong–Cheng Su Yin vs Feng Yanzhe–Huang Dongping
- Wong Tien Ci–Lim Chiew Sien vs Dhruv Kapila–Tanisha Crasto
For Ling Ching however, Singapore now feels bigger than just another tournament draw.
It is another door opening – and for her, it is an avenue to make a name for herself among the best in world badminton.
