KUALA LUMPUR: Eogene Ewe Eon hopes his familiarity with the Juara Stadium will give him an advantage when he begins his campaign in the Malaysia Super 100 there tomorrow.
The world No. 118 spent three years training at the Juara Stadium before making the move to Akademi Badminton Malaysia, which is just across the street.
The men's singles draw features top seed Chi Yu Jen from Taiwan and former world No. 1 K. Srikanth from India.
"The court here (Juara Stadium) gives me a good feeling, and I think that can help me. I have prepared well for this tournament and I will give it my all," he said when met at Juara Stadium today.
"The draw is really challenging. You have Srikanthand and the top seed Yu Jen, it is a tough tournament. I'm going to take things one game at a time."
Eugene is expected to have no difficulty beating Myanmar's world No. 306 Hein Htut in the first round but his potential second round opponent will be much more challenging.
He is likely to face Japan's world No. 54 and tournament sixth seed Riku Hatano if he makes it past the opening hurdle.
"I have never faced him (Hatano) before but I know he is a formidable opponent. He defeated Ong Zhen Yi in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia International challenge. I am determined to beat him," added the 19-year-old.
Meanwhile, women's singles player K. Letshanaa is hoping to use the experience she gained competing in higher-level tournaments this year to her benefit.
The seventh seed has played numerous Super 300 and 500 tournaments this season but has found the going tough in these higher level tournaments.
"It is difficult playing against them (higher ranked players) as they have more experience competing at the higher levels," she said.
"Their gameplay is better. Any mistakes I make get punished. But I take it as a chance for me to see where I can improve my game.
"I feel excited to play on home ground at this tournament (Malaysia Super 100). Playing in front of my home crowd gives me more confidence and I want to give my best. Hopefully, I won't disappoint the fans."