SHAH ALAM: Two-time former world junior champion Goh Jin Wei believes Malaysia have what it takes to upset Thailand in their final Group Y tie of the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) on Thursday.
According to the independent women's singles player, world rankings alone bear very little bearing in team events.
Happy to play in the BATC again after missing out on the previous edition, Jin Wei, who scored Malaysia's first point in the 5-0 annihilation of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, said Malaysia are happy to approach the tournament as the underdogs.
"We are the underdogs against Thailand, and there is nothing to lose. We will fight and see what we can do," said Jin Wei.
Due to health issues, Jin Wei, 24, could only join the BATC centralised training camp for a short stint.
However, the Penang-born sees positive development among the singles players at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM), which bodes well for the Malaysian team.
"Even with a very low ranking, like mine, there is room for surprises — I will still fight," Jin Wei added.
World No. 31 Jin Wei, the highest ranked Malaysian, will take to the court as the first singles player.
She will likely face Thailand's world No. 17 Supanida Katethong, a player she has defeated twice in three meetings, in the first match on Thursday.
On the other hand, the Thais could opt to field world No. 18 Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who holds a perfect 3-0 record over Jin Wei.
Malaysia and Thailand will battle at the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC) to see who tops Group Y.
The top four teams in the tournament will earn automatic qualification for the Uber Cup Finals in China in April.
RESULTS
Women's Group X: Hong Kong bt Kazakhstan 5-0,
Group Y: Malaysia bt UAE 5-0 (Goh Jin Wei bt Nurani Ratu Azzahra 21-13, 21-9; K. Letshanaa bt Madhumitha Sundarapandian 21-11, 21-14; Wong Ling Ching bt Sreeyuktha Sreejith Parol 21-4, 21-12; Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah bt Nayonika Rajesh-Madhumitha Sundarapandian 21-4, 21-5; Tan Zhing Yi-Teoh Mei Xing bt Zainaba Reem Siraj-Sreeyuktha Sreejith Parol 21-4, 21-14).
Group Z: Taiwan bt Singapore 5-0