KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 32 Goh Jin Wei breathed a huge sigh of relief after avoiding a potential upset in her opening Group H clash against unheralded Johanita Scholtz of South Africa on Monday.
Jin Wei secured a 23-21, 21-11 victory in just 30 minutes but admitted she needed some luck to pull through.
The 24-year-old Malaysian shuttler initially struggled in the opening game, finding herself trailing 19-16 before saving two game points to gain an early advantage.
Jin Wei attributed her shaky start to the overwhelming emotions of competing in her first Olympic match.
"I'm very happy to win and I feel a bit lucky about it," Jin Wei said in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
"Maybe it's my first Olympics, and I felt too excited. I was feeling so nervous that my hand was a bit stiff.
"I thought I was going to lose the first game and was preparing for the second."
Jin Wei's concern was understandable, as a loss to Scholtz, ranked world No. 103, would have been considered a major upset. In their previous encounter at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games,
Jin Wei handily defeated Scholtz, allowing her opponent only nine points.
Looking ahead, Jin Wei will need to overcome her nerves for her crucial match against world No. 17 Kim Ga Eun of South Korea, with a spot in the last 16 as group winner at stake.
Ga Eun also notched her first win against Scholtz on Saturday with a convincing 21-12, 21-6 victory.
Jin Wei's last encounter with Ga Eun was during the 2022 Korea Open quarter-finals, where she lost in straight games. Overall, Jin Wei has won only once in their three meetings.
"I'm very much looking forward to it (her next match). I just want to enjoy the game and have nothing to lose," said Jin Wei.