PETALING JAYA: Seven years of waiting finally came to an end for national squash player Mohd Syafiq Kamal after he captured the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Mumbai Challenger title on Friday.
The victory was made even sweeter after the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) confirmed his place in the national squad for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4.
Playing at the Bombay Gymkhana Club in Mumbai, Syafiq produced a remarkable comeback to beat Egypt’s Yassin Shohdy in the final.
The world No. 156 fought back from two games down to upset the tournament’s second seed 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 14-12, 11-8.
The victory also gave Syafiq sweet revenge after losing to Shohdy in the final of the ACE Challenger 6K in Kerteh in 2024.
“I’m grateful and happy to finally win another PSA title after such a long time. I’ve been trying for many years and I’m thankful that I finally managed to do it.
“It has definitely boosted my confidence. More importantly, it will lift the team’s spirit and morale ahead of the Asian Games,” said Syafiq.
The last time Syafiq lifted a PSA title was at the SRAM PSA 1 tournament in Bukit Jalil in 2019, where he defeated India’s Aditya Jagtap in the final.
However, Syafiq insisted he cannot afford to become complacent despite securing his place in the Malaysian squad, saying he still has plenty of work to do to ensure he is at his best in Aichi-Nagoya.
“There’s still a lot of time before the Asian Games. I have to keep working hard and hopefully I can maintain this form and condition until then,” he added.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games four years ago, Syafiq won the mixed doubles silver medal with Aifa Azman and also helped Malaysia claim the men’s team bronze alongside Addeen Idrakie, Ng Eain Yow and Ivan Yuen.
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