PETALING JAYA: Pint-sized Siti Nurshuhaini Azman believes her top is not going to cease her from turning into a world-class badminton participant.
Standing at simply 1.54m, the 17-year-old goals to mannequin her sport after reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.
Yamaguchi, who’s 1.56m tall, is likely one of the few girls shuttlers whose lack of top didn’t cease them from turning into profitable – amongst them her compatriot Nozomi Okuhara, the 2017 world champion.
“While being one of the shorter players out there definitely has its disadvantages, I don’t see that as a major problem.
“We have seen how players like Yamaguchi still flourish despite their short stature.
“I love watching Yamaguchi and I study her style of play. I learned and tried to adopt them into my game.
“What impressed me about Yamaguchi is that her stroke is so powerful for a player of her height. She also moves very fast on the court,” stated Siti.
Siti, who was promoted to the senior crew final month, stated she is at the moment engaged on her energy and endurance.
“In order to make up for my lack of height, I need to be able to hit powerful shots and be good defensively.
“I want to be a player who can withstand attacks and save all kinds of shots from my opponent,” she stated.
Siti, who made her Uber Cup Finals debut final yr, is relishing the possibility to signify Malaysia within the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam subsequent week.
As the third-highest ranked Malaysian girls’s singles participant behind world No. 64 S. Kisona, Siti (309th) can anticipate to be referred to as into motion.
The others are Eoon Qi Xuan (126th), Myisha Khairul (369th) and Tan Zhing Yi (1484th).
“If I get a chance to play, I will try my best to win a point for the country,” vowed Siti.
“I’m thrilled after being named in the squad for the second time. Having gained invaluable experience at the Uber Cup Finals, I believe I’m more prepared this time.”
At the Aarhus Finals, Siti was handed a 8-21, 3-21 thrashing by China’s He Bingjiao.
Although there stays a big hole between her and elite rivals, Siti has proven that she is already prepared to contend within the lower-tier tournaments.
Last yr, she emerged runner-up on the Czech Open and was a semi-finalist on the Slovenian International.
