Letshanaa pushes Olympic champ Chen Yu Fei to the brink before Singapore Open exit

SINGAPORE, May 27 — Malaysia’s K Letshanaa gave Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Chen Yufei a real scare before crashing out in a thrilling first-round showdown at the Singapore Open today.

The world No. 30 looked on course for a massive upset after snatching the opening game against the Chinese star, only for Chen’s class and experience to shine through in a hard-fought 19-21, 21-15, 21-17 comeback win after 66 gruelling minutes.

The 22-year-old Malaysian came out firing and refused to be intimidated by her decorated opponent, matching Chen stroke for stroke in a tense opening game.

With the score locked at 19-19, Letshanaa held her nerve brilliantly to grab the next two points and stun the fourth seed.

Buoyed by the breakthrough, the Malaysian continued to pile the pressure on in the second game and stayed within touching distance for long stretches as Chen struggled to shake her off.

But the former Olympic champion finally found another gear midway through the second game, opening up an 11-8 lead at the interval before forcing a decider with a 21-15 win.

Letshanaa refused to go quietly in the third game and once again pushed Chen all the way in a fierce exchange of rallies.

However, the Chinese ace’s composure in the big moments proved decisive as she edged clear late on to complete the comeback and end the Malaysian’s brave run.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s women’s singles challenge suffered another early blow after Wong Ling Ching was dumped out in the opening round by Japan’s Riko Gunji.

The world No. 34 battled hard but eventually fell 22-20, 21-17 to the world No. 19.

المصدر: Malay Mail