Goh Jin Wei came agonisingly close to making badminton history as the first Malaysian women’s singles player to claim a World Tour Super 300 title, before being forced to retire due to injury in the Thailand Masters final.
Ranked world No. 68, Jin Wei fell behind 8-21 in the first game and trailed 3-6 in the second against world No. 63 Devika Sihag of India when she signalled to the umpire that she was struggling with an ankle injury, ending her campaign at Bangkok’s Nimibutr Stadium.
Fatigue also appeared to be a factor, with Jin Wei having played 12 games over her previous four matches, compared with Devika’s eight over the past five days. The Penang-born 26-year-old had struggled with unforced errors throughout the final.
Despite the setback, Jin Wei earned US$9,500 (RM37,435) as the runner-up. More importantly, she has already made history by becoming the first Malaysian women’s singles player to reach a World Super 300 final.
Her run in Bangkok was particularly impressive, having defeated several higher-ranked opponents along the way, including national No. 1 K. Letshanaa in the semi-finals. Jin Wei’s resurgence comes after a period of battling stomach ailments that had caused her world ranking to drop.
