K.Letshaana attributed her strong self-belief after the national women’s singles shuttler scored her biggest career victory over a world top 10 opponent to advance to the Malaysia Masters quarter-finals.
The 22-year-old disposed of Japan’s world number nine Tomoka Miyazaki 21-15, 21-17 in 45-minutes to ensure Malaysia still has a representative in the singles department, after the rest of the men’s and women’s singles shuttlers all lost.
“The biggest change in me is belief and confidence. I am believing in myself more. It’s about having the correct mindset when playing against top players and choosing the right rallies.
“I am the underdog and my goal was simply to fight hard and give my best,” said Letshaana, whose improvement is visible for all to see.
Physically, the Selangor-born looks a different player to last year. She is now lean having shed significant weight which allows her to be more agile on court, and also developed a more offensive game where she is not afraid to attack her opponents more freely than before.
While agreeing that her coaches Iskandar Zulkarnain and Kenneth Jonassen has played a significant role in her transformation, the shuttler said her change also came from within.
“It can’t only come from the coaches. The players also need to put in the work. So it’s a win-win situation where both the coaches and players are working together, and now we are seeing the results together.
“Earlier this year I reached my first Super 500 semi-final in Indonesia, and now I’ve reached the quarter-finals here at home. This gives me confidence and shows that I’m improving and moving in the right direction.”
Letshaana will have the opportunity to match her career best result if she can overcome another Japanese Hina Akechi in the last eight.
