Ayesha seeks lift at national meet before take-off to England
The 18-year-old from Kuala Lumpur is eager to get things going at the Nicol David International Squash Centre, where she will take on 15-year-old Harleein Tan in the opening round.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Youngster Nickhileswar's flair lights up the fans despite exit in Penang
Entertainer: M. Nickhileswar (right) on court with Tay Jun Qian (left) during the National Championships in Penang. Credit - SRAM PETALING JAYA: Young squash player M. Nickhileswar has a flair for showmanship and he is not afraid to let it shine on court. The 17-year-old admitted that he enjoyed entertaining the crowd, and that side of him was on full display at the National Championships in Penang last week. Although Nickhileswar bowed out in the quarter-finals after a spirited 8-11, 7-11, 8-11 defeat to Sanjay Jeeva, the youngster still managed to rally the spectators with his lively on-court presence, which is a stark contrast to his laid-back personality off court. "Off-court, I'm very chill, I like to joke around. But on the court, I'm serious, I want to win," said Nickhileswar. "Obviously I don't want to cross the line, but there's the entertainer side of me where I like to get the crowd going and have some fun with my squash." In his first appearance at the national level, the youngster relished the experience, soaking in the atmosphere and testing himself against the country's best. "I think it was a good experience for me to play in Penang, as it gave me the opportunity to play against some of the top players in the country," he said. "It was a tough loss, but I think I played some of my best squash, and it gave me the confidence that I can keep up with the senior players. "I don't think I can beat them yet, but I'm still a junior, and I'm young with a lot of time." Having completed his International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in June, Nickhileswar said he would spent the rest of the year polishing his skills in the sport before starting his foundation programme at Sunway University next year. "I'll be squeezing in as much training as I can, and at the same time play as many tournaments as I can to get my ranking up," said Nickhileswar. "I hope to get into the top 200 by the end of the year. Most importantly, I want to be in the best possible condition to train and play well." Nickhileswar will be competing in the Tuanku Muhriz Trophy in Seremban from Aug 27-31 next, before heading to Greece and Italy for several PSA Challenger events.
New Straits Times
14 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Different strokes from Jiwa's three children
KUALA LUMPUR: Jiwa Mohan has three children and all of them are good at hitting a small ball with something. The hockey Olympian and World Cupper has two sons and one daughter excelling in different sports. Jiwa's 14-year-old twin sons, Kryshant and Kriish live in Victoria, and they have been selected for the Australia Under-16 squad. And on Sunday, his squash-playing daughter Yashica made Jiwa proud by winning the National Championships Division Two title in Penang. Yashica, who took up squash at the age of six, made her debut in the National Championships. Seeded third, she upset top seed Nurul Nisa Najihah Nazir 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 in the Division Two final at the Nicol David International Squash Centre. Yashica, a Form One student of SMK Convent Green Lane in Penang, was thrilled to win her first national-level title. "This is the first time I played in a national-level tournament and I never expected to win the title. "It's definitely a big boost for my career as I want to turn professional by the age of 17 or 18," she said. Recalling her involvement in squash, she said: "I had the option either to follow in the footsteps of my father and my twin brothers or play squash. "I wanted to do something different and new, so I picked up squash. "I am proud of my brothers who have been selected for the Australian national Under-16 team and I too want to represent Malaysia in squash. "My dream is to play in the World Championships. I took up squash after I was inspired by eight-time world champion Nicol David whom I met in Penang a few years ago. "Nicol's motivation is a big boost as she is my idol. My other idols are eight-time world champion Nour El Sherbini of Egypt and world No. 4 Olivia Weaver of the United States. "I thank my dad for funding my trip to play in the Hong Kong Junior Open last week. It was my first overseas competition and I finished 13th," said Yashica, who is trained by three coaches: Khoo Teng Hin, Aaron Soyza and Ammar. Last year, Yashica was named as the top eight rising star in the CIMB National Junior category. Jiwa said he is proud of his daughter's success, and he hopes she will go far in squash. "Winning at the National Championships is a boost to her, and I hope she will continue to shine in competitions," said Jiwa, who played in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2002 KL World Cup.
New Straits Times
a day 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
