Indonesian women's singles player Mayla Cahya Afilian Pratiwi has made the 2026 Asian Junior Championships an important evaluation for her preparations for the 2026 World Junior Championships (WJC).
Mayla was stopped in the quarterfinals after losing to Chinese representative Yi Qing Yin with a score of 17-21, 10-21 at the Yatsushiro City General Gymnasium, Japan, Friday.
"I played pretty well in the first game, but in the second game I wasted a lot of balls and made unforced errors," Mayla said in an official statement from the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) after the match.
In the first game, Mayla managed to put up a fight and maintain a point lead over Yi. However, after losing the opening game, the young Indonesian player struggled to overcome her opponent's pressure in the second game.
Mayla said Yi has quite a difficult attacking quality, especially from his smashes and fast net play.
"The opponent has a sharp smash and his front ball is fast," said Mayla.
Despite being stopped in the quarterfinals of the women's singles, Mayla believes that the experience of facing a strong player like Yi will be valuable for improving her performance in the next tournament.
He said focus and mindset are two key aspects that must be improved before competing in the 2026 World Junior Championships, scheduled to take place in Cairo, Egypt, in early October.
"For the upcoming WJC, I want to improve my focus and strengthen my mindset," said Mayla.
