My Story

Wong Mew Choo made it into the Malaysian badminton annals by winning her first major international title in grand style at the China Open in Guangzhou yesterday. En route to the singles title she packed off the top Chinese women shuttlers.

The only other player who has beaten the seemingly invincible Chinese at their home ground was South Korean Bang Soo-hyun, who pulled off the feat in 1994 before going on to claim the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta two years later.

In fact, Mew Choo is now the first Malaysian woman in three decades to nail a major title for the country. And for the world number eight, it all seemed like a dream.

“I just cannot believe it. I have never ever won an Open title before and I have ended the drought in China. This is incredible ... I am so happy right now,” said Mew Choo in a telephone interview from Guangzhou yesterday.

“The hopes are usually on the men to win titles for the country but I am glad that I have done it for the women.”

En route to the title, Mew Choo eliminated four China players and China-born Pi Hongyan, who now plays for France.

Mew Choo knocked out reigning world champion Zhu Lin in the quarter-finals and upstaged 2004 Athens Olympic champion Zhang Ning in the semi-finals.

“I came here with a target to reach the quarter-finals. I knew I had a fighting chance against Hongyan (the world number five). But beating Zhu Lin for the first time gave me confidence,” she said.

“Then, I defeated Zhang Ning for the first time after losing seven times to her. I kept asking myself, is it all really happening?

“After reaching the final, I was bent on winning the title. I have beaten Xingfang once (at the World Championships) but many thought that I was lucky to win it. Today, I proved that the win was no fluke. She had the crowd behind her but I never gave up even though I lost terribly in the second game.”

Mew Choo put up a solid show to win the first game but a fired up Xingfang rebounded with a 21-8 win in the next game.

Xingfang appear to be cruising to victory when she surged ahead to 8-3 in the decider but Mew Choo clawed back to claim the crown.

With the win, Mew Choo is now assured of a place in the eight-player Super Series Finals. She was lying in ninth spot in the rankings going into the China Open.

Mew Choo said that the win had also boosted her challenge in the Beijing Olympics next August.
“I do not have to worry about making the cut for the Olympics if I continue playing like this. In fact, this win has given me a lot of confidence. Now, I know that I can challenge for an Olympic medal.

“However, I do not want to be overly excited. I will be competing in the Hong Kong Open next week and I hope to reach the last eight.”

Said national coach Wong Tat Meng of Mew Choo's success: “What more I can say? Mew Choo has made us all very proud today. She has given a new image to Malaysian women's badminton.”