PETALING JAYA: Squash player Harleein Tan’s campaign at the British Junior Open came to an end after she fell to top seed Habiba Rizk of Egypt in the girls’ Under-17 quarter-finals yesterday.
The 16-year-old Harleein, seeded fifth, fell 7-11, 8-11, 7-11 to Rizk at the University of Birmingham Sport and Fitness Centre, but Harleein isn’t sulking over the defeat.
"Obviously, I'm disappointed with the result as I felt I could have played better," said Harleein.
"The ball’s bounce on the glass court wasn’t great and I didn’t adapt quickly enough to recover during the match."
But Harleein added that there are positives to take away from the year’s first major tournament.
In the second round on Saturday, Harleein took down Egypt’s Rama El Naggar 11-5, 11-6, 11-6, getting her revenge for their encounter at the same stage two years ago.
"Facing the top seed was a tough challenge, but it’s part of the learning process, competing at this level.
"That said, there are a lot of positives for me to take. I had managed to defeat another Egyptian player in straight sets whom I had lost to in the Under-15 semis in 2024.
"That shows my progress and gives me the confidence to move forward.
"I’ll take these lessons, work on my adaptability, and focus on continuing to improve in the upcoming tournaments," she said.
Harleein will compete at the National Junior Championships next in Kuala Lumpur from Jan 21-25.
RESULTS
(Malaysians only)
QUARTER-FINALS
Girls
Under-17: Habiba Rizk (Egy) by Harleein Tan (Mas) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7.
THIRD ROUND
Boys
Under-13: Hisshan Nair Tan (Mas) bt Ben Lamond (Eng) 11-8, 11-9, 11-4, Mohd Sharhan Mohd Saiful (Mas) bt Anderson Morgan (Usa) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, Eyad Eishaar (Egy) bt Mior El-Fayedh Mior Ahmad Nazril (Mas) 13-11, 11-9, 12-10, Tameem Mostafa (Egy) bt Syahmie Raeesz Syahrul Anuar (Mas) 11-6, 11-3, 11-6.
Under-15: Aly Teleb (Egy) bt Mohd Ifwan Zulkifli (Mas) 11-7, 12-10, 11-4, Adam Halil (Egy) bt Armann Merzha Ashraff (Mas) 12-10, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, Under-17: Aryaweer Dewan (Ind) bt Jayden Oon (Mas) 8-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-4.
Under-19: Yassen Shalaby (Usa) bt M. Nickhileswar (Mas) 10-12, 11-6, 8-11, 11-3, 11-0.
Girls
Under-11: Siti Aleeya Shahar (Mas) bt Suri Iyengar (Usa) 11-4, 11-4, 11-8, B. Kavilaasri (Mas) bt Aditi Patel (Usa) 11-9, 11-6, 11-4, Julia Wong (Usa) bt R. Meera (Mas) 11-5, 11-2, 9-11, 11-7.
Under-13: Fayrouz Elsayad (Egy) bt Keerti Pradhaa Junivar Bala (Mas) 11-0, 11-2, 11-5.
Under-17: Harleein Tan (Mas) bt Rama El Naggar (Egy) 11-5, 11-6, 11-6.
Under-19: Doyce Lee (Mas) bt Ena Kwong (Hkg) 10-12, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, Sohayla Hazem Farouk (Egy) bt V. Haneesha (Mas) 11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 11-8, Barb Sameh (Egy) bt Najwa Zara Mohd Fakhrur Razi (Mas) 8-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-9.
