Letshanaa sets up daunting Wang test at world meet
KUALA LUMPUR: K. Letshanaa safely negotiated her opening hurdle at the World Championships on Monday, but will now need to pull off a major upset to extend her stay in New Delhi.
K. Letshanaa, ranked 31st in the world, successfully completed her first hurdle at the World Championships on Monday, but must now secure a major victory to advance further in New Delhi. The Malaysian defeated Uganda's 117th-ranked player, Fadilah Shamika Rafi, 21-11, 21-7 in the women's singles first round at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
This triumph marked Letshanaa's second successive appearance in the second round, where she will face world No. 3 Wang Zhi Yi of China, a formidable opponent. Wang dominated her opener, defeating American Zhang Bei Wen 21-12, 21-13. Letshanaa, competing in her second World Championships, achieved the same round on her debut last year before losing to India's former world champion P.V.
Sindhu 21-19, 21-15. The 22-year-old will need to deliver an exceptional performance if she is to reach the last 16 for the first time, a feat she has previously failed to accomplish against Wang, losing both previous encounters 21-17, 21-18 in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in May.
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