Harsh lesson keeps Aifa on guard at British Junior Open

KUALA LUMPUR: Aifa Azman endured a bitter experience in the World Junior Squash Championships in Chennai, India, in July and she hopes that harsh lesson will stand her in good stead for the British Junior Open in Birmingham from Jan 2-6.

In Chennai, the Kedahan was seeded joint third-fourth and expected to reach the semi-finals, but she was stunned by joint 13th-16th seed Farida Mohamed of Egypt in the third round.

Aifa, seeded joint fifth-eighth in the Under-19 competition, will open her campaign against Emma Carney of the United States in the first round.

She then is expected to face joint 17th-32nd seed Mayar Mohamed Elshafey of Egypt in the second round.

If she gets past Mayar, Aifa is likely to face joint 9th-16th seed Katie Wells of England in the third round.

Barring any upset, Aifa will face her biggest obstacle in the quarter-finals against top seed Hania El Hammamy of Egypt.

Aifa, who won the Under-17 British Junior title in Birmingham in January, said she can’t take any player for granted in the British Junior Open.

“It was frustrating to lose in the third round of the World Junior meet. I’ve learned my lesson and will take every match seriously.

“It’s never easy to play against Egyptian players ... whether they’re seeded or unseeded players, they always give their best.

“I have to be on my toes and take it one match a time. I’ll be more than pleased with my performance if I can reach the last eight,” said Aifa, who is gunning for her fourth British Junior Open title.

She won the Under-13 title in 2014 and two years later bagged the Under-15 title. Aifa did well to win the Under-17 title this year.

She took a break from squash after winning the Malaysia Games (Sukma) title in Ipoh in September to focus on her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination last month.

Aifa, who won four Malaysian Tour Squash Circuits this year, only started training three weeks ago for the British Junior Open.