GONE are the days when the national women’s singles department was considered weak.

Following their fine performance at the Asia Team Championships in Manila in February, national women’s singles coach Tey Seu Bock has noticed a new fire among his charges.

Players like Soniia Cheah, S. Kisona and Goh Jin Wei have begun showing more self-belief, which is also motivating the other shuttlers in the squad.

“It’s definitely a positive sign. Just from observing them during training, you can see the difference.

“Their approach is different. You can sense that they are ready to face anyone.

“I have been trying to work on their game since taking over the women’s singles department,” Seu Bock told Timesport.

Nobody expected the women’s team to do well in Manila. They silenced their critics when they reached the semi-finals and qualified for the Uber Cup on merit.

The team nearly stunned eventual champions Japan in the group stage with Soniia and Kisona pulling off major upsets over World No 3 Akane Yamaguchi and 19th-ranked Aya Ohori, respectively.

“The girls needed that, and I am proud of them.

“Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic happened and we are all now battling to stay relevant.

“The players are doing their part by training hard at home. It’s the only thing we can monitor for now.

“Their spirits are high and they are looking forward to getting back on court.

“I also can’t wait to train them and see them do well in tournaments,” added Seu Bock.

Since the All England last month, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) have postponed all tournaments on their World Tour Calendar and have also frozen the world rankings.

The other shuttlers under Seu Bock are Lee Ying Ying, Eoon Qi Xuan and K. Letshanna.