Sabah squash ace one win away from first national crown

Focused: Duncan Lee returning a shot to C. Ameeshenraj during the National Championships semi-final match at the Nicol David International Squash Centre. He faces Sanjay Jeeva next. — SRAM

PENANG: National squash player Duncan Lee is on the brink of a career breakthrough as he storms into his first-ever National Championships final.

The 23-year-old powered past C. Ameeshenraj 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 in the semi-finals at the Nicol David International Squash Centre yesterday – avenging his defeat to the same opponent in last year’s second round.

Fresh from winning the SEA Cup in Bangkok last month, Duncan is hungry to carry that momentum into Penang.

Sanjay Jeeva

“This feels like my best chance to lift the title and show that I’m improving. Winning the SEA Cup gave me extra belief, and reaching the final here motivates me even more for the tournaments ahead,” said the Sabah-born shuttler.

Last year, Duncan’s best showing was a quarter-final finish, falling to Syafiq Kamal.

This time, he has gone one step further and stands on the cusp of glory.

In today’s final, he faces top seed and teammate Sanjay Jeeva, who needed over an hour to edge Joachim Chuah 12-14, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6 – twice as long as Duncan’s swift straight-games win.

“It could help that my semi-final was shorter, but it’ll still be tough against Sanjay. We know each other’s games inside out, so I’ll need to be mentally sharp and stick to my plan,” Duncan added.

Sanjay is feeling confident he can get the job done.

“It’s my second nationals and I’m the top seed, so I’m happy to have at least made it to the final.

“But I know every match is tough, and there’s always different pressures in every match,” he said.

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS

(National players unless stated)

Men: Duncan Lee bt C. Ameeshenraj 11-8, 11-6, 11-5; Sanjay Jeeva bt Joachim Chuah 12-14, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6.

Women: Aira Azman bt Goh Zhi Xuan 11-4, 11-6, 11-6; Aifa Azman bt J. Yasshmita 11-8, 11-4, 11-4.