Li Jane misses out on second PWBA Tour title by just 10 pins.

PETALING JAYA: National bowler Sin Li Jane came close to pulling off a second win on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour (PWBA Tour) in the United States.

The 27-year-old’s hopes of winning the US Bowling Congress Queens (USBC Queens) were dashed when she lost by just 10 pins (226-216) to Ukraine’s Dasha Kovalova in the final stepladder match at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kansas, on Tuesday.

Li Jane, the second seed, had earlier defeated third seed Clara Guerrero of Colombia 267-224 to set up the title clash.

Li Jane had a split in the fifth frame and that opening was enough for the 24-year-old Ukrainian to lift her maiden PWBA Tour title.

Kovalova picked up US$20,000 (RM83,700) while Li Jane settled for US$11,000 (RM46,000).

Although falling just short of adding a second PWBA Tour title to her earlier triumph at the 2017 Lincoln Open, Li Jane feels she can still walk tall.

“Disappointed? Yes. But I did everything I could and I’m still proud with what I have achieved,” said Li Jane.

“It’s no easy feat to finish on the podium all the time. I’ve been consistently producing top-three finishes in every tournament.

“I’ll come back stronger for sure,” added Li Jane, who came in third at the Malaysian Open earlier this month.

The Queens result marked Li Jane’s third runner-up finish on the PWBA Tour.

She also finished second at the 2016 Greater Detroit Open and 2017 Wichita Open, which she lost to teammate Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman.

Li Jane and Siti Safiyah are the only two Malaysians to have won on the Tour to date.

Esther Cheah and Shalin Zulkifli rounded up a commendable outing for Malaysia by coming in 11th and 14th respectively out of the 192 competitors.

Esther earned US$2,800 (RM11,700) while Shalin netted US$2,294 (RM9,600). Siti Safiyah did not make the cut for the match play.

The USBC Queens was the quartet’s second and final stop in their three-week US stint. They also played in the Lincoln Open where Li Jane emerged as the top performer in 16th spot.

The women are preparing for several important assignments later this year, notably the Women’s World Championships in Las Vegas from Aug 22-30 where Li Jane and teammates will be defending their team gold.

The Asian Championships in Kuwait from Oct 20-30 and the Manila SEA Games from Nov 30-Dec 11 are also top on their agenda.