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Miyazaki overcomes 'anxiety' to win on badminton worlds debut / Photo: © AFP
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Miyazaki overcomes 'anxiety' to win on badminton worlds debut
Japanese teen sensation Tomoka Miyazaki kickstarted her maiden badminton world championships with a win on Tuesday, but admitted nerves and a "bad habit" almost got the better of her in Paris.
Lauded as the future face of the sport in Japan, 19-year-old Miyazaki may be making her bow at the major but is already in the top-10 in the world rankings and a junior world champion after victory in the underage tournament three years ago in Spain.
Such expectations would weigh on even the most experienced of players, and, despite feeling the strain, the eighth seed held her nerve to pull off a comeback 2-1 win over Turkey's Neslihan Arin in the first round.
"In the first game, I felt like I was struggling because my control wasn't there," Miyazaki told reporters.
"The opponent was big, and controlling the shots was difficult, so I ended up forcing it a bit... I felt I couldn't move smoothly or think clearly, and it was a really tough (first) game for me.
"(In the deciding game) I took the lead but she then caught me up, I could feel my heart racing as I tried to hold on."
The Osaka-native revealed the occasion and her recent form had got into her head before taking to the court in Paris.
"I don't think I was nervous specifically because it was the world championships, but I did feel some anxiety and struggle after recent matches," she explained.
"Lately, my bad habit is forgetting things when I'm not playing well, so I don't want to repeat the same mistakes or errors. Today, I properly switched gears to win back the second game."
Miyazaki added Tuesday's battling win did her the world of good moving forward in the tournament: "Carrying that anxiety, winning today's first match, I think, alleviates some of that worry.
"Looking back today, I think it would be good to switch gears tomorrow (Wednesday) and play with a positive mindset.
"I played well at times and not so good at others. So even though I won today, I did not play so well that I have a lot of confidence yet."
Miyazaki shared she plans to take the world championships one game at a time as she bids to confirm her status as the rising star of the women's game.
"I don't have a specific target," she said of whether she had her eye on a medal at the end of the week.
"But within the context of one match per day, I feel strongly about giving my absolute all in each one and striving to do my best."
J.Scott--SFF
