Rachel fancies chance of reaching at least third round in Cleveland

Rachel Arnold (right) makes a return to Egypt's Salma Hany during the Malaysian Squash Open quarter-finals at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil, November 25, 2021. - GLENN GUAN/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Squash player Rachel Arnold is not looking too far ahead in her first assignment of the year.

Rachel, who will be competing in the Cleveland Classic, will be happy if she gets past the third round.

The 25-year-old will open her campaign against England’s Jasmine Hutton, 22, at the Cleveland Racquet Club on Jan 27.

And Rachel fancies her chances of clearing the hurdle despite Hutton being ranked higher in the Professional Squash Association ranking.

The English player is No. 33 while Rachel is at No. 37.

“I think I’ve got a decent draw. Definitely looking to get to the third round or further,” she said.

“Jasmine is a good player, I’ve seen her in action a few times but we’ve never met. I think it will be a balanced match as our ranking is not that far apart.”

Rachel will be taking part in several tournaments in the US and is eager to see where stands among the world’s top players.

“Well, hopefully, I’m not too far behind. I also intend to tweak my game and use different strategy when I take on different opponents.”

Last year, Rachel won the SRAM PSA 7 title and was a semi-finalist in the SRAM PSA 1. In the Malaysian Open, she made the quarter-finals and helped Malaysia win the Asian Team Championships.