Girls’ squash team set up final date with Hong Kong

KUALA LUMPUR: The girls’ squash team are riding high and confident of winning Malaysia’s ninth Asian Junior Team Championship after marching into the final.

The girls had no problems as they easily overcame India 2-0 in the semi-final in Pattaya, Thailand, yesterday.

Chan Yiwen got Malaysia’s first point as she defeated Yoshna Singh 11-6, 11-1, 11-6 in 23 minutes.

Top junior player Aifa Azman then sent the team into the final with a commanding 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 victory over Sanya Vats in just 17 minutes.

“As I was the first to go on court, I knew it was important for me to win to get my team off to a great start so that they won’t feel the pressure,” said Yiwen.

“I just played my normal game and I manage to lead from start to finish.

“We also wanted to end the match as fast as we could and prevent a decider so that we could rest longer and feel fresh for the final.”

The girls will be up against second seeds Hong Kong, who have won all their matches including a 2-0 win over South Korea in the other semi-final.

Malaysia have a slight advantage over Hong Kong, having won five of their nine previous meetings in the finals.

Yiwen believes that as long as they stick to their game plan, they have the quality to win.

“As long as we play our normal game, it shouldn’t be an issue for us as.

“But we still can’t underestimate Hong Kong and prepare for any eventuality.”