PETALING JAYA: Goh Jin Wei may have muffed up a chance to win her first World Tour title but playing in the Vietnam Open final itself is seen as a victory by her coach Nova Armada.
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Jin Wei, who had to play in three games in her previous two rounds, was served a blow by Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh with a 21-15, 21-13 win in 32 minutes.
It was the 22-year-old’s first defeat to the world No. 58 Vietnamese after winning in all three previous encounters at the Asia Team Championships (2018), Singapore International Series (2017) and Vietnam International Series (2015).
Nova said it was heartwarming to see Jin Wei complete a tournament without breaking down and believed she would be in a position to win a title soon.
“I’m satisfied with Jin Wei’s performance. It’s good to see her compete in the final after playing in rubber games of the last two matches. To me, it is a victory,” said Nova.
“Jin Wei needs to slowly work her way up and be mindful with her fitness and avoid injuries.
“This is the main concern and this tournament has given hope for her.
“The focus now is to improve her world ranking into the top 32 so that she can qualify for the tournament above super 500.
“She can also avoid playing in the qualifying rounds.”
Jin Wei is ranked 50th in the world.
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“The qualifying rounds have been killing her chances as she will have to play two matches in one day in the space of four hours. Her condition does not allow her to do that at the moment,” he added.
The two-time world junior champion will take a one-week break before returning to two competitions – Indonesia International (Oct 11-16) and the Indonesia Masters (Oct 18-23) in Malang.
She will travel to Europe to play in the Hylo Open (Nov 1-6) in Saarbrücken, Germany and the Australian Open (Nov 15-20).
Jin Wei has not won any major title although she had reigned as the country’s best before she was affected by her stomach ailment in 2019.
For now, Jin Wei will have to continue her career without an international title but Nova expects it to change soon. Men’s singles: Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) bt Sun Feixiang (Chn) 10-21, 21-14, 21-17.
Men’s doubles: Ren Xiangyu-Tan Qiang (Chn) bt He Jiting-Zhao Haodong (Chn) 17-21, 21-18, 21-8.
Women’s singles: Nguyen Thuy Linh (Vie) bt Goh Jin Wei 21-15, 21-13.
Women’s doubles: Benyapa Aimsaard-Nuntakarn Aimsaard (Tha) bt Febriana Kusuma-Amalia Pratiwi (Ina) 21-16, 27-25.
Mixed doubles: Dejan Ferdinansyah-Gloria Emanuelle (Ina) bt Rehan Naufal-Lisa Ayu (Ina) 21-13, 21-18.–The Star