Chan shows star status with victory in debut pro final
A star was born at Hong Kong Squash Centre yesterday when youngster Chan Sin-yuk lifted her first professional title in her first final – giving a glimpse of the shape of the sport to come among local contenders.
The 18-year-old sixth seed was crowned the 2021 Chairman Cup women’s champion after beating her seniors, including fifth seed Vanessa Chu in the final with a 11-6, 13-11, 11-9 victory.
In the men’s final, top seed Yip Tsz-fung gained sweet revenge on Lau Tsz-kwan, the fourth seed, for the title, notching a 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6 win.
Yip had lost to Lau in the semifinals of last month’s Chairman Cup, which was the 2020 edition of the competition.
“I have never played in the final of a professional tournament and I’m so happy that I have won it at my first go,” Chan said.
The youngster only became a full-time athlete in October last year. “I was a bit nervous the night before and I could not sleep well but fortunately it did not affect me too much.
“Vanessa is a very fast player but I was able to cope with her speed and make it all the way to winning my first title.”
Chan, who has an excellent record in junior events, now looks forward to her senior career, with next year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou her next big target.
“The Hong Kong women’s team are the defending champions in Hangzhou and it will be a big challenge if I can represent the team,” said Chan, who was the 2019 Asian junior champion (under-17) and a silver medallist (under-17) at the British Junior Open the same year.
She was also part of the Hong Kong junior team that claimed a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships.
On the way to winning her maiden title, Chan defeated fourth seed Lee Ka-yi and second seed Ho Tze-lok before reaching the final. Both Lee and Ho were members of the victorious 2018 Asian Games gold-medal winning team alongside retired stars Annie Au Wing-chi and Joey Chan Holing.
“The women’s team has become very competitive with many players trying to win places on the team and hopefully I can seriously challenge to become a member of the team ,” Chan said.