It’s a tall order for Sarawakian shuttler Ling Ching at BAC
by Eikman Teo · Borneo Post OnlineKUCHING (April 8): Malaysia faces a big challenge in the women’s singles at the Badminton Asia Champinships (BAC) in Ningbo, China which kicks off the main draw on Wednesday.
The tournament has not only attracted the world’s best in the women’s singles. The draw revealed that Malaysia’s top two of K. Letshanaa and Wong Ling Ching are up against higher-ranked Pusarla Sindhu and Tanvi Sharma of India in the first round.
The BAC is sanctioned by BWF to award ranking points equivalent to its top-tier (Super 1000) tournament. The top 11 women’s singles players in the world – all Asians – are in the fray.
Ling Ching, who is Sarawak’s only shuttler in the national squad, has been a revelation in the past 14 months. Last year, she started off ranked outside 100 in Feb but rose to No.47 by the end of 2025. Her rise was highlighted by giant-killing wins over Canada’s Michelle Li (World No.15) last July and Indonesia’s Gregoria Tunjung (No.10) last December and Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong (No.8) just last month.
She may have to produce another stunner in Ningbo just to clear the first hurdle. Standing in her way is the lanky (1.78m) Sindhu who enjoys celebrity status in India as the most illustrious female shuttler in the nation’s history.
The 30-year-old is arguably past her prime. The 2016 Olympic silver medallist and 2019 world champion has not lifted a top-tier BWF title since 2022. She’s also plaqued by a series of injury setbacks in recent years.
However, Sindhu’s experience at the highest level is unmatched and she is still ranked No.13 in the world compared to Ling Ching’s No.38. And even if Ling Ching pulls off a major upset, her potential opponent in the second round is China’s world No.2 Wang Zhi Yi who beat South Korea’s world No.1 An See Young for the All England crown just last month!
Meanwhile, Letshanaa is up against a much younger Indian. Tanvi is only 17 but she’s no pushover. The singles runner-up at the 2025 World Junior Championships is among the brightest of India’s wave of rising starlets.
Last month, the teen sensation reached the semi-final of the Orleans Masters (a lower-tier BWF event) which saw Letshanaa and Ling Ching, both are aged 22, eliminated in the first and second round respectively. She has already risen to World No.34 which is higher than Letshanaa’s No.37.
A third Malaysian women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei (No.47 in the world), who was expected to play in the qualifying round, has been promoted to the main draw of 32 after the last-minute withdrawal of defending champion Chen Yu Fei of China. Goh will now face Japan’s former world champion Nozomi Okuhara in the first round.