Yee Xian defers studies for a year to focus on professional squash

KUALA LUMPUR: Youngster Siow Yee Xian will take a one-year break from studies to focus on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) tournaments next year.

The 17-year-old Melaka player turned professional in October but could not feature in the PSA tournaments as he was busy preparing for his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.

Yee Xian, who took up squash eight years ago, is now ready to play full time in PSA tournaments after completing his SPM examinations last month.

“I hope to play in as many PSA tournaments as possible next year to improve my world ranking and my game,” said world No. 508 Yee Xian.

Having proven himself in junior-level competitions, he hopes to do the same in the lower-ranked PSA tournaments.

“Playing in the PSA tournaments will be more challenging as I will be up against more experience players, but I’m ready for it,” said Yee Xian, who won all the junior tournaments he competed in this year.

He bagged the boys’ Under-17 National Junior title in March and the National Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Under-18 crown in May.

In July, the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) student captured the Under-17 Asian Junior title in Amman, Jordan, before triumphing in the National Junior Grand Final Under-17 circuit in October.

He is now competing in the Under-19 REDtone Junior Championships at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil.

Yee Xian, who received a first-round bye, breezed past Indonesia’s Rafli Putra Raihan 11-2, 11-3, 11-1 to set up a third-round clash against joint ninth-16th seed Zeeshan Zeb of Pakistan today.

Yee Xian said that “the REDtone meet is part of my preparation for the British Junior Open” in Birmingham from Jan 3-7.

“My parents (Siow Seong Wan and Tay Bee) are paying for me to play in the Under19 category of the British Junior Open, so I want to give my best there,” said Yee Xian.

Yee Xian’s elder brother, Yee Qian, is also competing in the Under-19 REDtone meet but lost 1-11, 4-11, 6-11 to New Zealand’s Matthew Lucente in the first round on Tuesday.