KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia cruised into the semi-finals of the Women’s World Squash Team Championships in Cairo, but an uphill task awaits the shuttlers against hosts Egypt.
In the quarter-finals played last night, the Malaysian team displayed a commendable show to oust Asian champions Hong Kong 3-0, a perfect revenge for the 2-1 defeat in the Asian meet finals last month.
World number 33 Aifa Azman gave a winning start for Malaysia by defeating Chan Sin Yuk 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10, before Chan Yiwen doubled the lead by downing Tong Tsz Wing 11-1, 7-11, 11-0, 10-12, 11-6 after a 42-minute battle.
In the third match, world number 24 Rachel Arnold thrashed Lee Ka Yi 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 to confirm victory for the country.
“It’s my first World Teams so it feels incredible, I didn’t expect to go that far. We just played step by step, lost against France yesterday, and after that, we had a meeting and we said, just be there for each other, and go for it,” Yiwen told the tournament’s official site after the match.
National head coach Ajaz Azmat said after the 2-1 defeat to France in the last group stage on Tuesday, the athletes were fired up to bounce back, apart from taking a revenge against Hong Kong.
“They did very well, and we are really happy, the girls were full of confidence after the loss to France, but they felt they could go further in the competition. It’s such an excellent news for us.
“We are so proud of the girls, all of us, the coaches, all of those who are working with us, especially after Covid-19 where we weren’t allowed to play any competitions. So we organised team bubble training, it was a hard time for us, but we tried to keep them motivated, and so happy it finally paid off,” he said.
Meanwhile, defending champions Egypt, powered by the world’s top three players, eliminated Scotland 3-0.
World number one Nouran Gohar beat Georgia Adderley 11-6, 11-4, 11-3, world number three Hania El Hammamy thrashed Katriona Allen 11-2, 11-3, 11-2 before world number two Nour El Sherbini completed the icing on the cake with 11-3, 11-3 victory against Alison Thomson.
Malaysia’s best-ever achievement in the biennial tournament was when Datuk Nicol David, Low Wee Wern, Delia Arnold and Zulhijjah Azan finished second in the 2014 edition. – Bernama, December 15, 2022
