Rachel to the rescue
World No. 26 is sole homester in the semi-finals
KUALA LUMPUR: Rachel Arnold saved the day for the hosts when she stormed into the semi-finals of the Malaysian Open squash championships after Aifa Azman and Addeen Idrakie ended their campaigns in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
Rachel, the world No. 26, overcame an erratic start to upset fourth seed Nadine Shahin of Egypt 6-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-9 in a 36-minute quarter-final clash at the National Squash Centre. She will play Nele Gilis of Belgium next.
Rachel received some guidance from fellow Malaysian professional Ng Eain Yow, who urged her to come back with a more positive approach after the lethargic first game.
She responded with the quickfire 11-1 win in the second game and did not look back after that.
“Yow was telling me to be more fiery as I was a bit passive in the first game and the change helped me. I feel proud of myself today (yesterday),” said Rachel.
“I’ve played Nadine a few times (third match) and this is my first victory over her. Yesterday (on Wednesday) was not the best match for me, so I’m happy about my performance today.
“Hopefully, I can make the final but tomorrow is going to be a tough match.
“I played Nele at the British Open last year and lost to her in three games.
‘‘She is fit physically and it will be tough.”
Aifa could have made an all-malaysia semi-final but found Gilis too hot to handle and was beaten 11-9, 11-4, 11-2 in 32 minutes.
Gilis, the world No. 14, showed the sea of difference in experience as she never gave Aifa the chance to settle into her attacking style.
“I was expecting a tough match and she didn’t give any chance for me to get back into the game. It was good to play her and I’ve learnt something from this match,” said the 21-year-old Aifa.
“She knows that I like to go for my shots but engaged me in long rallies instead. I don’t want this defeat to consume me, I want to remain positive and focused on the next tournament (Hong Kong Open next year).
“To compete with the top players, I can’t rely on shotmaking but need to also add the ability to play long rallies.
‘‘It’s a mix of both and I want to keep learning.”
Meanwhile, Addeen’s run in the men’s event came to an end when he lost 1-11, 9-11, 6-11 to top seed Tarek Momen of Egypt in the last eight.