Delia leads local charge in World meet qualifiers

GEORGE TOWN: National No. 3 Delia Arnold leads a group of 20 Malaysian players who will go into action at the Nicol David International Squash Centre in Penang to vie for the eight qualifying berths available for the 29th World Women’s Squash Championship 2013 main draw.

World No. 37 Delia received a bye in the round of 64 on Saturday and will take on Egypt’s Habiba Mohamed on Sunday for a place in the third qualifying round. If she gets past Habiba, the 28-year-old Malaysian will likely meet Holland’s world No. 51 Milou van der Heijden to earn a spot in the main draw’s first round.

“I have not been playing regularly for some time now, so I intend to take it one round at a time in the qualifiers. I have trained hard before coming to Penang and, hopefully, I can make it to the main draw,” said the recently married Delia.

“The last time I played Habiba, I lost to her in a five-setter and I expect another tight encounter on Sunday.”

Delia is also excited for the huge group of Malaysian junior players who will be taking part in a world championship qualifiers for the first time.

Among the youngsters in the fray are reigning British Open junior champions S. Sivasangari and Aifa Azman.

“It is fantastic that the 2013 world meet is held in Malaysia as it provides the youngsters with the rare chance of being part of such an elite tournament. All the world’s best players are here in Penang and this is the perfect platform for the juniors to gain experience,” said Delia.

Among all the Malaysians in the qualifiers, Delia tips her younger sister Rachael and Teh Min Jie as having the best chance to qualify for the main event.

Rachael and Min Jie, however, need to overcome Egyptian obstacles before they can rub shoulders with the world’s elite.

Rachael, who should face no problem in overcoming compatriot Sara Chew on Saturday, will cross paths with Heba El Torky of Egypt in the following round. Likewise, Min Jie should get past compatriot Zetty Zawannah in her first match to set up a meeting against Egyptian Salma Hany Ibrahim.