PENANG: Facing a top squash player for the first time can be daunting but a confident V. Haneesha dares to dream big.
The 17-year-old will lock horns with second seed Aifa Azman for the first time in the quarter-finals of the National Championships at the Nicol David International Squash Centre today.
The Negri Sembilan player did well by ousting her teammate Chen Yu Jie 13-11, 11-4, 11-9 in the women's first round yesterday.
Buoyed by the win, Haneesha is going into the challenging match against Aifa with an open mind.
"I hope to be able to give it my best against Aifa. I’ve never played against her before," said Haneesha.
"She’s among the top in the world, and I’m still a junior. I just want to try my best, and hopefully I can make it further in the tournament."
The courts in Penang are familiar to Haneesha, having won the Under-19 title at the Penang International Junior Open last month.
Before that, she had won the Under-19 title at the Lion City Junior Open in Singapore in June.
Haneesha, who travels from Seremban to Petaling Jaya daily for her training sessions, added that her campaign in Penang serves as a valuable learning experience, allowing her to gauge where she stands alongside her compatriots.
"From this, I hope to be able to see where I stand and what aspects of my game need to be improved because I’m going up against better players," she said.
"It’s quite an exciting experience for me. There’s no pressure, I just want to see where I’m at," she said.
Currently studying in UCSI in Cheras, Haneesha added that she will be managing her studies while also competing on the PSA Squash Tour after the tournament in Penang.
"I do see myself slowly getting better and making my way to the top. With all my training, I hope there are results and I get better each day," she added.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS
(National players unless stated)
Men: Hafiz Zhafri Abdul Harif (Ked) bt Raziq Putra Fakhrur Razi (Kul) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7; Duncan Lee bt Ivan Chang (Pen) 11-1, 11-4, 11-8; Low Wa Sern bt Hashvind Kugan (Kul) 12-10, 11-5, 11-7; M. Nickhileswar (Pen) bt Tay Jun Qian (Sel) 9-11, 10-12, 11-2, 11-9, 11-8; Harith Danial (Swk) bt V. Loshmaan (Nse) 11-1, 12-10, 11-4; Joachim Chuah bt Tho Wei Yan (Pen) 11-5, 11-8, 11-2.
Women: V. Haneesha bt Chen Yu Jie (Nse) 13-11, 11-4, 11-9; Harleein Tan bt Ayesha Rania Syed Kebir (Kul) 11-5, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9; Doyce Lee bt Angie Ooi (Pen) 11-4, 11-4, 11-2; Zoe Foo (Kul) bt Anrie Goh (Ked) 11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 10-12, 11-4.
