Ratchanok Intanon has worked out a way to keep extracting top performances out of herself at her age.

The trick? It’s all in the head.

“As I get older, I’m choosing to believe I’m still young and can play like I did before. In my head right now, I’m 18,” the 29-year-old said with a smile after defeating Putri Kusuma Wardani to reach the PETRONAS Malaysia Open 2025 semifinal – her first at a Super 1000 since June 2023.

“I go in thinking my fitness is better than my opponent’s and that I’m stronger. Previously, I didn’t necessarily have the right mentality but today I was ready for every shot. I had a plan and a target. Finally, I’m back in a Super 1000 semifinal.”

Intanon started the decider well, racing to an 8-2 lead before Wardani surged ahead 13-10. But the 2013 world champion went into attack mode at 14-14, winning four straight points to close out the match 21-13 15-21 21-16.

“When she came back, I had to rely on my power and push myself to run more,” Intanon explained. “She tried to control the rallies but I knew I had to play more aggressively. That’s when things started to work.”

With a strong start to 2025, Intanon has clear goals for the year.

“I want to get back into the top eight in the world rankings. I’m not focusing on becoming a champion, I just want to maintain a high standard all year without disruptions from injuries,” she said.

Touching on her good record in Malaysia, where she has won two Opens (2016, 2022) and two Masters (2018, 2019), the world No.16 commented: “I’ve been playing here since I was young and I have many fans here. It feels like home. Even though I’m from Thailand, Malaysians have always supported me. It feels great.”

Next up is Olympic champion An Se Young, whom Intanon has not defeated since winning the first of their nine duels back in 2019.

Intanon said of her opponent: ““She learned from me when she was younger and now she leads in our head-to-head. She’s mentally strong and we know each other well. I will just do my best without any pressure.”

→ Results (Day 4)

→ Order of play (Day 5)

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“I couldn’t even hear him! At the beginning of my career, playing in front of the home crowd made me nervous. But I’ve learned to embrace the cheers and use it as motivation. Lately, I’ve been enjoying it a lot more.” – Shevon Jemie Lai on the deafening support at Axiata Arena

“This is a barometer for us. I don’t know what’s next for us because we still have a long way to go but
I want to give my best every time with a challenger’s mentality.” – Yuki Fukushima after she and Mayu Matsumoto ousted second seeds Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee

“As athletes, these are the stadiums you want to play in. We couldn’t have asked for a better crowd, although they were rooting for the local pair. It’s one of the best arenas to play badminton.” – Chirag Shetty after he and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy beat Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi