Aifa falls to Egypt's Jana Shina in semis

KUALA LUMPUR:Aifa Azman, Malaysia's only hope to the finals of the 2019 World Junior Championships, came up short against Jana Shiha of Egypt in the semi-finals yesterday.

Despite giving the second seeded Jana a tough time, the 17-year-old Kedahan lost 12-10, 12-14, 11-2, 14-16, 7-11 in 64 minutes.

Aifa came close to winning the match in the dramatic fourth set as she obtained the first match ball, but Jana turned the tables by overpowering the Malaysian.

“This year, I just came back (recovered) from injury. I think I did really well to make the semifinals and I am proud of myself. I will come back stronger for the team event.

“Next year I will make sure that I make it into the final and win the title,” Aifa said.

This is the first time that the three-time British Junior Open champion lost to Jana, whom she had beaten twice in the 2014 and 2018 British Junior Open championships.

Malaysia's assistant head coach Andrew Cross said he is proud of Aifa's achievement as she has come a long way.

Cross also said he was pleased with the national players' achievements and was optimistic that the girls will bounce back in the team event next week.

“For the next couple of days, we are going to build their confidence. The girls have done really well this week and we need to make sure that they are mentally and physically prepared for next week,” he said.

He also said that England, Hong Kong and the United States are three strong teams, and the national team need to be ready to brace the challenges ahead.

Jana will next face her compatriot, first seeded Hania El Hammamy who defeated teammate Farida Mohamed 11-8, 11-6, 4-11, 11-3in another semifinal.

In the men's singles, Egypt's first seeded Mostafa Asal will face Lewis Anderson of England for the title today. - Bernama