Billie Jean King Cup assignment awaits Joleen before joining Ivy League school
The competition will again be held in Kuala Lumpur this year at the National Tennis Centre on June 16-21.
Joleen said she expects the competition to be tough with teams such as Indonesia, Pacific Oceania and the Philippines in the mix.
The other countries competing in Group II are Singapore, Uzbekistan, Northern Mariana Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Iran and Mongolia.
"I usually don't want to set expectations that are too high as I just want to try and focus on the process," said Joleen recently.
"But of course the goal is to try and get into the top-two and be promoted. Hopefully we can do better than last year.
"It will be quite a challenge as there are a number of strong teams. Besides Indonesia and the Philippines, Uzbekistan and Iran are not bad while Singapore also has quite a few good players."
Hannah Yip, Soo Hui Yii, Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman, Iman Syuhada Abdullah and Joleen powered Malaysia to a best-ever third place finish in the Group II competition last year.
Joleen, 18, will later be heading to the United States in August as she has been accepted into the University of Pennsylvania where she will read economics while playing collegiate tennis.
"It is a really good Ivy League school and they are also in Division One (NCAA D1)," said Joleen.
"I believe going there will benefit both my tennis and my education."
Joleen added that she is looking to play in a number of ITF futures events before leaving for the US to earn herself a WTA ranking.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Duncan, Aira crowned national squash champions
KUALA LUMPUR: Duncan Lee continued his giant killing act to win his first national men's title while Aira Azman bagged her third consecutive women's crown at the National Squash Championships in Penang today. Sabahan Duncan, ranked world No. 130, stunned world No. 68 and top seed Sanjay Jeeva 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 in 48 minutes at the Nicol David International Squash Centre. In the semi-finals, third seed Duncan had upset world No. 87 and second seed C. Ameeshenraj 11-8, 11-6, 11-5. National No. 3 and world No. 27 Aira came back from a game down to beat her elder sister Aifa 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8. Last year Aira also beat Aifa in the final, Duncan, 23, who won the Sea Cup in Bangkok last month, said it was an incredible moment for him to win the national title. "Against Sanjay, I managed to stick to my game plan and make him run all over the court." My target this year is to break into world top 100." Aira, 20, said: "I faced a really tough challenge from Aifa who was leading 2-1 after three games." Aira was also happy for her elder sister Aika for winning the Division One title in the National Championships. Aika beat Nurul Nisa Nasuha Nazir 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 in the final. Results: Men's Premier Division: Duncan Lee bt Sanjay Jeeva 11-9, 11-8, 11-8; Division One: Jess Tay bt Praviin Jeeva 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9; Division Two: Choy Min Hon bt Sheikh Darwish Nazri 13-11, 11-4, 12-10 Women's Premier Division: Aira Azman bt Aifa Azman 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8; Division One: Aika Azman bt Nurul Nisa Nasuha Nazir 11-3, 11-5, 11-7. Division Two: Yashica Jiwa Mohan bt Nurul Nisa Najihah Nazir 11-9, 11-6, 11-9
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Duncan Lee wins his first national men's title, Aira Azman bags her third consecutive women's crown
KUALA LUMPUR: Duncan Lee continued his giant killing act to win his first national men's title while Aira Azman bagged her third consecutive women's crown at the National Squash Championships in Penang today. Sabahan Duncan, ranked world No. 130, stunned world No. 68 and top seed Sanjay Jeeva 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 in 48 minutes at the Nicol David International Squash Centre. In the semi-finals, third seed Duncan had upset world No. 87 and second seed C. Ameeshenraj 11-8, 11-6, 11-5. National No. 3 and world No. 27 Aira came back from a game down to beat her elder sister Aifa 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8. Last year Aira also beat Aifa in the final, Duncan, 23, who won the Sea Cup in Bangkok last month, said it was an incredible moment for him to win the national title. "Against Sanjay, I managed to stick to my game plan and make him run all over the court." My target this year is to break into world top 100." Aira, 20, said: "I faced a really tough challenge from Aifa who was leading 2-1 after three games." Aira was also happy for her elder sister Aika for winning the Division One title in the National Championships. Aika beat Nurul Nisa Nasuha Nazir 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 in the final. Results: Men's Premier Division: Duncan Lee bt Sanjay Jeeva 11-9, 11-8, 11-8; Division One: Jess Tay bt Praviin Jeeva 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9; Division Two: Choy Min Hon bt Sheikh Darwish Nazri 13-11, 11-4, 12-10 Women's Premier Division: Aira Azman bt Aifa Azman 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8; Division One: Aika Azman bt Nurul Nisa Nasuha Nazir 11-3, 11-5, 11-7. Division Two: Yashica Jiwa Mohan bt Nurul Nisa Najihah Nazir 11-9, 11-6, 11-9
Free Malaysia Today
9 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
We shouldn't have dropped F1, says SIC chief
Liberty Media Corp, the owner of F1, has quoted a price of US$70 million (RM295 million) per race in Malaysia, Sepang International Circuit CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif said. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : It was a mistake for Malaysia to give up the hosting rights for the Formula 1 (F1) grand prix, says Sepang International Circuit (SIC) CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif. He said it was a tall order now to host the F1 race in Sepang as there is a long waiting list for a place on the motorsport event's calendar. He added that it would also be very costly with Liberty Media Corp, the owner of F1, having quoted a price of US$70 million (RM295 million) for the rights to host the race in Malaysia, New Straits Times reported. 'That does not include our setup costs, in the region of RM10-20 million per year. In total, it would cost us more than RM300 million to bring back the race (annually),' he was quoted as saying. Nonetheless, Azhan believes there is a strong interest to bring the F1 grand prix back to Malaysia, adding that if enthusiasts and stakeholders were really serious about this, then 'maybe we can start the conversation'. He maintained that every stakeholder must be involved and contribute to make this a success, saying Malaysia should take a leaf from Singapore. '(Singapore) has everyone on board to make their F1 grand prix a success, from the ministries to the corporate sector and hotels. Everybody contributes. 'It has to be like that if we bring it back here,' he said, adding that the returns on investments will not be immediate. Azhan then warned against making the same mistake with the hosting rights for the MotoGP, saying that negotiations for a contract renewal with event organiser Dorna Sports will take place soon. 'We do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. We let F1 go and now it is very hard to bring it back. I hope we don't make the same mistake with MotoGP,' he was quoted as saying. In April 2023, youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh said it would be 'quite impossible' for Malaysia to host F1 races in Sepang again because of the high costs it would incur. However, Motorsports Association of Malaysia president Mokhzani Mahathir said F1 races could return to Sepang if the corporate sector was willing to bear the costs. Malaysia first hosted the F1 grand prix in 1999 and it became a popular attraction for motorsports enthusiasts from around the world every year. The last race in Malaysia was held in 2017 after Putrajaya decided not to renew the hosting rights due to a decline in returns.
