SINGAPORE – Local and world badminton history was created this week when the Badminton World Federation (BWF) released its updated world rankings for players on Thursday morning (June 8).

For the first time ever, a Singaporean emerged top of the female singles’ junior list.

That person was none other than Yeo Jia Min, who had spent 15 of the preceding 21 weeks at No. 2. In rising to the pinnacle of the junior rankings, she displaced Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei to become the first-ever Singapore to rank world No. 1 in the sport at either senior and junior (Under-19) level.

It is the latest milestone for the 18-year-old, currently local badminton’s brightest prospect.

Yeo captured her first professional title at last July’s Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Grand Prix, while also claiming a third career U-19 title with her Yonex Dutch Junior International triumph earlier in March.

The careers of previous world No. 1 female juniors suggest that Yeo has the potential to do well when she makes the leap to the professional level next year.

After all, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi is world no. 4, while her compatriots Nozomi Okuhara and Aya Ohori are 13th and 19th.

China’s He Bingjiao is 7th, Chen Yufei is 9th, while Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, Busanan Ongbamrungphan and Pornpawee Chochuwong are 8th, 12th and 20th respectively.

Yeo, who doesn’t keep track of her rankings and was only informed of her No. 1 achievement through a text message from her mother, does not want to be the odd one out, nor a flash in the pan.

“My goal is to break through on the world stage and do well,” the soft-spoken teen told TODAY recently. “I won’t say I think of it every day, but that’s my goal.

“I think what people want (to see) from me and what I want from myself is the same, maybe even higher.”

OLYMPIC DREAMS

Despite being ranked 62nd in the world, the Singapore Sports School graduate has lofty aims.

She is targeting a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and wants to be among the world’s elite in five years’ time.

She will be 22 then, which is when female players tend to peak. Current world no. 1 Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan is 22, while no. 2 Carolina Marin of Spain is 23.

“I hope by then I can at least be in the top five or top 10 so that I’ll have a good chance of winning a medal in the Olympics,” said the former Asian U-15 and U-17 champion.

Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) chief coach Chua Yong Joo thinks Yeo can do it. “I think she can definitely be our next No. 1 singles (female player), there’s huge potential in her,” he said.

The former national shuttler added that there are high hopes for Yeo, whom he believes has progressed well over the past two years after recovering from a knee injury in 2015 that put paid to a SEA Games debut that year.

“The thing now is (to figure out) how we can get her to the 2020 Olympics, hopefully to even win a medal.”

PLAY SMART

Yeo believes her game has matured both physically and mentally but insisted she still has a long way to go as she prepares to transit to senior level badminton next year.

“There’s still a big improvement to be made in areas like gameplay, tactics and the control of the shuttle on court, especially in big halls that are a bit windy, and how to control my rhythm on court, so I can have more shot consistency, and how to adapt to different players as well,” she rattled off.

She has also come to realise the importance of having smarts and the virtue of patience.

“My style of play won’t change, it’s still sort of attacking, but now I have to incorporate different things and elements to bring out that attacking strength even more,” she explained.

“I have to improve other areas like controlling my opponents. It’s basically like chess, you need to know how to move them around, so that your attacks will be more effective.

“It may take longer for opportunities to come and I have to be more alert to those and really make use of them, or the opponent will take advantage instead.

“I think you have to be more patient and also more decisive… more daring.”

Yeo put school on hold at the start of last year to train full-time. She is self studying and plans to apply to take the international ‘A’ Levels when she is “ready”.

This arrangement allows her to train at least 10 times weekly. She has two sessions daily except on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sundays are rest days. She also does extra conditioning work on her own.

“I enjoy (training) because badminton is my passion,” she said. “I love doing what I do.”

WORLD JUNIOR TITLE AIM

Due to a lack of female sparring partners, Yeo trains with her male teammates instead. It is not ideal, but it does not deter her.

“There are definitely still differences in game play,” she said.

“So it’s good I can come out and play competitions. Then I will be playing with girls, and can see how the things I have worked on works with them.

“Maybe I will be able to improve faster (with more partners) but I can’t control that. I just have to train smarter.”

It also means that she is usually alone with just her coach at tournaments, but she is not fazed by that either.

“Other teams will have many team-mates, and sometimes it can be lonely, but it’s part of the journey,” she reasoned.

“You can say that Marin is also lonely, or maybe Tai Tzu-ying… it doesn’t really affect me a lot.”

Yeo will take on more senior competitions this year to ease her transition from junior level, but has also set her sights on two major junior titles.

“My goal this year is to win the Asia Junior and World Junior championships, and do well for this SEA Games,” she declared.

“If I continue to work on the things I need to improve, from now until then, then I should be able to play well.”