ANDREA STUNS TOP SEED RACHEL TO PROVE SHE’S FIT TO JOIN THE ELITE
Lee stuns top seed Rachel to prove she’s fit to join the elite
KUALA LUMPUR: Andrea Lee delivered a polished performance to clinch the women’s title at the Malaysian Tour Squash Circuit (SSJM) No. 10.
The 18-year-old proved that she’s ready to rub shoulders with the elite after a fine all-round performance to upset compatriot and top seed Rachel Arnold in the final yesterday.
Andrea, who paired up with Rachel to clinch the women’s doubles gold medal at the SEA Games, showcased her attacking abilities for an 11-6, 11-7, 11-13, 11-8 win at the NSC Squash Centre in Jalan Duta.
The world No. 104 moved the ball well to put the 21-year-old Rachel under pressure and storm into a two-set lead.
World No. 50 Rachel gave herself a lifeline as she saved four match balls to take the third set 13-11.
But Andrea stepped up a gear to claim victory after 37 minutes.
It is the KL girl’s second Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour title since her Contrex Challenge Cup triumph in Hong Kong last year.
The win also shows that Andrea is not far behind fellow 18-yearold S. Sivasangari, who is ranked No. 61 in the world.
“I think I played well and I got my length early on. The idea was to put in the low shots to move her around and to put pressure on her,” said Andrea.
“It’s definitely great to win my second title, especially on this court. I started playing squash on this court, so this is a special feeling.
“The win is also a good boost for me because I haven’t been playing that well so far. I’ve lost a lot of close matches.
“My ranking dropped a lot. So this is just what I needed to get back on track and to move up.”
In the men’s final, national No. 4 Mohd Syafiq Kamal fell just short as he lost 8-11, 12-10, 3-11, 11-9, 6-11 to top seed Harinderpal Sandhu of India.
It was the 28-year-old Harinderpal’s 21st consecutive win on the PSA Tour and his fifth title of the year.
“It’s great to win another title in Malaysia and to continue my winning streak. I’ve had quite a bit of injuries over the last two years, so I’m happy to build my game up from smaller tournaments like this,” said the Chennai native.