PETALING JAYA: Teenager Daania Daniella Abdul Hazli (pic) enjoyed an outstanding week at the opening leg of the Tennis National Circuit in Kuala Lumpur recently, capturing both the women’s Open singles and doubles titles in a highly competitive field.
In the quarter-finals, the 15-year-old faced her SEA Games teammate and regular doubles partner Hannah Yip Seen Ean, edging through a tough three-set encounter 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 to secure her place in the last four.
She followed up with a commanding semi-final victory over Adani Raihan Azhari, winning convincingly 6-1, 6-1, showing strong court control and consistency throughout the match.
The final proved to be the highlight of the tournament as Daania battled current national women’s No. 1 Elsa Wan Rahman in a gripping three-hour contest. After taking the opening set 7-5 and conceding the second 3-6, Daania regrouped to close out the match 6-3, clinching her first women’s Open singles title.
This is the first time that Daania has secured victory over a WTA ranked player. Elsa is currently ranked 1,490th in the world.
Daania had already tasted success in the women’s doubles event the day before.
Partnering Elsa, the duo delivered a composed performance in the final, defeating Hannah and Adani 6-3, 6-2 to lift the doubles crown.
The double triumph further adds to Daania’s growing list of achievements, which includes a bronze medal in the women’s team event at the Thailand SEA Games last month.
Following her successful national circuit campaign, Daania will next compete in the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors (Under-18) events in Singapore in two weeks, as part of her continued international development pathway.
