Eain Yow, Rachel Cruise Into Malaysia Squash Cup Quarterfinals

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) —National players Ng Eain Yow and Rachel Arnold surged into the quarterfinals of the Ace Malaysia Squash Cup 2024, with commanding victories in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at The Curve shopping mall, Damansara.

In the second round of the men's event, which took place in a glass-enclosed court at The Curve shopping mall in Damansara here, Eain Yow defeated Shahjahan Khan from United States 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-2) in 51 minutes. 

The second seed acknowledged that he was still trying to adjust to playing on the court, which affected his performance.

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“…maybe I'm not as calm as I normally am. That's something I need to focus on tonight and reset for tomorrow to stay focused throughout the match," he told reporters after the game.

Eain Yow said overall, he set a very high standard for himself, feeling confident about his fundamental game and his ability to limit his opponents' chances to attack, but acknowledged that his finishing was an area where he didn't perform as well.

The 26-year-old player said the confidence built over years of training will be crucial for his upcoming match against either Spanish player Bernat Jaume or Rui Soares from Portugal in the quarterfinals.

“At this level, with the top 10, top 5 players, if we don’t believe that we can beat them, we’ll never beat them. So at this stage, we believe that we can do it, and we’re going to go on court every day and try to execute it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rachel, the third seed in the women’s competition, needed only 25 minutes to defeat her compatriot, Noor Ainaa Amani Ampandi, with a score of 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-5).

The world number 20 said facing a compatriot required her to stay focused and sharp, especially in front of local fans, and also evoked memories of watching former squash queen Datuk Nicol Ann David play at the same venue.

“I think (things that I want to improve is) just trying to start well and then stick with it and try to not lose focus really,” she said. 

Rachel will face either Spain’s Marta Dominguez or England’s Katie Malliff, and if she meets Katie, she’s prepared to give it her all, as she had lost to her in their recent match in New York. 

Held on a high-tech glass court at The Curve Shopping Mall, this Bronze-level event on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour Series runs from Nov 12-17, with matches at The Curve and the National Sports Centre (NSC) in Jalan Duta, offering a prize pool of US$100,000 (about RM443,566).

— BERNAMA