Tournament Recap: May

  • Men
  • Women

Men

Ng Eain Yow

It’s a good month for the new national No. 1. Having usurped Nafiizwan Adnan to be the top ranked Malaysian, the 21-year-old Eain Yow showed that he’s got the game to back that up by reaching his first ever semi-final of the Asian Individual Squash Championships. He even defeated defending champion Max Lee of Hong Kong in some style in the quarter-finals as well. Not a bad way to make an impression although he will be disappointed with his first round defeat at the British Open to Patrick Rooney – a player mhe has always beaten during their junior days.

 

Nafiizwan Adnan

May saw Nafiizwan bow out from squash finally. The 33-year-old had been mulling his decision for some time and the Asian Individual Squash Championships in front of the home crowd was the stage for him to bid goodbye to the sport. It wasn’t his best performance however as he was blown apart by eventual champion Saurav Ghosal of India in the quarter-finals. But no one is going to fault him for a lack of effort.

 

Ivan Yuen

Ivan is still trying to find his best form this year and May really wasn’t it. He gave a solid display in the Asian Individuals but just fell short in the quarter-finals to Hong Kong’s Leo Au. He will also be disappointed in a first round defeat at the British Open – losing to Scotland’s Greg Lobban in four games.

 

Addeen Idrakie

Really poor month for the 25-year-old. Addeen did well enough in April but all that good work went to waste as he was unceremoniously stunned by Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue in the second round of the Asian Individuals.

 

Syafiq Kamal

Its also nothing much to shout about for Syafiq in May. He got through to the third round of the Asian Individuals but he will be disappointed at himself for not giving Hong Kong’s Yip Tsz Fung a tougher challenge.

 

Ong Sai Hung

The youngster earned a chance to compete in the Asian Individuals but he was quickly sent packing in his first match – in the second round against Hong Kong’s Max Lee. He did play well in patches and earned some praise from Max for his efforts.

Not in action – Darren Rahul Pragasam, Ryan Pasqual, Siow Yee Xian, Duncan Lee, Farez Izwan, Hafiz Zhafri.

Women

Nicol David

May was also Nicol David’s final ever appearances on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour before she calls it a day in June. The 35-year-old played in two tournaments in England – the Manchester Open and the British Open and it was really more of a jog down memory lane for the eight-time world champion. She lost in the second round in both tournaments but will look back fondly at a 20-year career in which she has won everything that was on offer.

 

Low Wee Wern

A really good month for Wee Wern as she continues to show her strength on her comeback trail. Having finished runner-up in the Macau Open in April, the Penangite quickly followed up with a semi-final showing at the Asian Individuals. She could have gone one step further if she had more match fitness but that will come in time. The British Open was also a decent outing for Wee Wern as she made the second round before losing to a very strong Joelle King of New Zealand.

 

Rachel Arnold

A truly disappointing showing from the world No. 47. Rachel was expected to do a lot better in the Asian Individuals but old habits die hard and she blew several match point opportunities before losing to a much lower-ranked Tanvi Khanna of India in the third round. Its back to the drawing board for her.

 

Sivasangari

The US-based Sivasangari showed that she is very much the future of Malaysian squash with yet another strong showing, this time at the Asian Individuals. The Kedahan may not have played much since enrolling at Cornell University in January but she hasn’t lost her touch much. She made it to the semi-finals before bowing out to a very sharp Joshna Chinappa of India.

 

Lai Wen Li

Had a rare opportunity to compete in the Asian Individuals and she pretty much performed to what was expected, nothing more. Got past a tricky second round match against Risa Sugimoto of Japan but was outclassed by world No. 11 Annie Au of Hong Kong in the next round.

 

Aika Azman

Lived to her seedings by reaching the semi-finals of the Sandgate Open in Queensland, Australia. The 22-year-old was seeded fourth for the tournament and did enough to beat Courtney Mather and Alex Haydon before she was sent packing by top seed Sarah Cardwell of Australia.

 

Chan Yiwen

May is not Yiwen’s finest moment as she just wasn’t up to the task in the Asian Individuals. Its tough luck getting drawn to play Wee Wern in her first match and she showed that she’s still a long way off in the straight games defeat.

 

Aifa Azman

Put up a much better showing compared to April. The 16-year-old made the third round of the Asian Individuals where she lost to fellow Kedahan Sivasangari. Its worth noting that she did well enough to take a game off Sivasangari and its a good progress with the the World Junior Championships in August in mind.

Not in action – Ooi Kah Yan, Noor Ainaa Amani Ampandi, Jessica Keng, Wong Heng Wai, Yee Xin Ying, Angie Ooi.
Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia
Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia
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