KUALA LUMPUR: Independent shuttler Soniia Cheah made a smashing comeback from a one-year layoff by checking into the second round of the World Championships in Tokyo today.
Soniia, playing in her first match since the Tokyo Olympics 12 months ago, edged Indonesian rising star Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-19, 21-18 to set up a meeting with reigning Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China.
Soniia has never made it past the second round in her last two appearances at the world meet.
She decided to take a long break after the Tokyo Olympics in order to let her ankle problem heals fully.
Despite her long absence, Soniia remains the highest-ranked Malaysian women's singles at world No 40.
While Soniia sparkled, former Sea Games champion S. Kisona is in danger of sinking into oblivion following yet another disastrous outing. She went down tamely 21-10, 21-17 to Vietnam's Vu Thi Trang in her third first round exit in as many tournaments.
Kisona also failed to impress in her debut in the world meet in Huelva last year, losing to Turkey's Neslihan Yigit.
In women's doubles, Malaysia's Anna Cheong-Teoh Mei Xing made it through the first hurdle, but their juniors, Low Yeen Yuan-Valeree Siow were shown an early exit.
Anna-Mei Xing powered past Stine Kuespert-Emma Moszczynski 21-13, 21-15, and will meet world No 10 Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong of South Korea next.
But Yeen Yuan-Valeree were no match for India's Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand, losing 21-11, 21-13.