KUALA LUMPUR: With the confidence of winning back-to-back national titles, rising star Lim Chi Wing now hopes to make his presence felt in overseas tournaments.
Chi Wing, a member of the newly formed special project squad, has taken up the challenge to break into the top 60 in the Badminton World Federation men’s singles ranking this year.
Currently, the World No 144 can only play in lower-tier events due to his low ranking.
“The great win in the National Championships in Ulu Kinta last weekend has given me some confidence. However, I still need to train harder and work on weaknesses. I still lack the variety in my attacking game,” said Chi Wing at Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
A member of the BA of Malaysia’s (BAM) national squad since 2012, Chi Wing grabbed attention when he won the Bangladesh International Challenge and the Vietnam International Series three years ago.
The 22-year-old did not make any impact in 2015 but managed runner-up outings in the India International Challenge and the Vietnam International Series last year.
“The sparring sessions with Lee Chong Wei has been beneficial. I am improving and learning a lot from him. But I need to pick up the finer points in training in order to do better in international events.
“It will be very important for me to improve my ranking this season. At the moment, my ranking is too low to play in Super Series tournaments and other high-level events.
“I hope to make at least the semi-finals in every upcoming lower-tier events I play in this year,” said Chi Wing, who is down to play in the Vietnam International Challenge on March 21-26 in Hanoi and the Osaka International Challenge on March 29-April 2).
Chi Wing is unlikely to play in the Malaysian Open in Kuching on April 4-9 as he is currently the ninth reserve for a spot in the qualifying round.
He is currently ranked 14th in Malaysia behind Chong Wei (World No 1), Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (31st), Zulfadli Zulkiffli (35th), Chong Wei Feng (42nd), Liew Daren (49th), Goh Soon Huat (83rd), Soong Joo Ven (98th), Soo Teck Zhi (110th), Goh Giap Chin (112th), Tan Chun Seang (127th), Arif Latif (133rd), Chong Yee Han (137th) and R. Satheishthran (141st).