The 23-year-old independent shuttler, who has yet to regain her form since undergoing surgery in 2019 due to a stomach ailment, beat Taiwan’s Sung Shuo Yun 21-18, 21-11 at the Axiata Arena here.

However, Jin Wei, currently ranked 31st in the world, is set to face an uphill task in the second round tomorrow against seventh seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia, who ousted Natsuki Nadaira of Japan 20-22, 21-18, 21-14.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Jin Wei said she was pushing her limits in training to improve her fitness and skills.

“Although I used the one-month off-season for preparation, I still felt like it wasn’t enough as I lost my focus at one point.

“Gregoria is much more experienced, but I’m looking forward to our match tomorrow.

“I am really trying my best to go beyond my limits every day. My ultimate target is the Olympics, and I’m very positive about it.”

The 2015 and 2018 girls’ singles world junior champion has a strong claim at qualifying for Paris 2024 as she is currently ranked 28th in the Olympic qualifiers.

If Jin Wei continues her good run in her home tournament, she will gain more valuable points to climb the rung, considering the Malaysia Open’s Super 1000 status.

The next best Malaysian in the ranking is K Letshanaa (63), followed by S Kisona (85) and Wong Ling Ching (93).

According to the Paris 2024 qualification criteria, a total of 35 quota places, one host country place, and two universality places are allocated for the singles event.

A country can only have a maximum of two shuttlers in one singles category if both are ranked top-16 at the end of the qualification period on April 28.