31-Jul, Finals:

Addeen Idrakie confirms, Tong Tsz-Wing surprises

[1] Addeen Idrakie (Mas) 3-0 [8] Mohd Syafiq Kamal (Mas)
                               11-6, 11-4, 11-6 (41m)
[4] Tong Tsz-Wing (Mas) 3-2 [2] Rachel Arnold (Mas)
                               11-13, 4-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 (66m)

Number one seed Addeen Idrakie powered past Mohd Syafiq Kamal to lift his first PSA title in the final of the Malaysian Tour.

The Malaysian came through his semi-final match against Chi Him Wong in good form, dropping a single game as he pressed on to victory.

Kamal though had a contrasting match after he completed a stunning comeback from two games down to overturn his opponent Elvinn Keo and secure his passage through to the final.

It was apparent that the gargantuan effort took its toll on Kamal whose heavy legs meant that Idrakie opened up an unassailable lead in the all-Malaysian final.

The 21-year-old rose to an 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 victory to pick up his maiden title and bring an end to Kamal's fantastic run. “I am glad to win my first PSA title,” said Idrakie. “This year I've struggled with my performance and this time I'm happy with the way I played. I hope I can continue to win more PSA titles after this.”

Tong Tsz-Wing produced a stunning performance against Rachel Arnold in the final as she fought back from two games down to claim her first PSA title of 2015. The World No.77 from Hong Kong came through a testing encounter against top seed Vanessa Raj to secure her final berth as she upset the Malaysian on home soil.

Meanwhile, Arnold swept to a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Zulhijjah Binti Azan to ensure that she would do battle with Tsz-Wing in the showpiece event.

It was Arnold who started the better of the two, edging out the opening game in a dramatic tie-break before earning a relatively comfortable win in the second. Tsz-Wing battled back impressively though and broke the Malaysian’s resistance to win three games without reply to take the crown.

“This is my second PSA title and I’m happy to win,” said Tsz-Wing. “I was 2-0 down and, in the third game, Rachel lead 7-3 but I managed to overcome the deficit and win the match.”

11/6, 9/11, 13/11, 11/5 (58m)

[6] Chi Him Wong

11/6, 11/4, 11/6 (41m)

[8] Mohd Syafiq Kamal

9/11, 7/11, 11/8,11/9, 12/10 (80m)

[8] Mohd Syafiq Kamal

Qualifying:

13/15, 11/8, 11/4, 11/2 (60m)

[4] Tong Tsz-Wing

11/13, 4/11, 11/8, 11/4, 11/7 (66m)

[2] Rachel Arnold

12/10, 11/7, 11/7 (30m)

[2] Rachel Arnold

30-July-2015

Semis: Kamal & Tong reach the final

Number eight seed Mohd Syafiq Kamal came through a gargantuan five-game-thriller with Elvinn Keo in the semi-final of the Malaysian Tour Squash V, PSA M5 event to reach his first ever PSA World Tour final.

The World No.202, whose encounter with Ahmad Al-Saraj in the previous round also went the full distance, found himself two games down against his opponent and was staring down the barrel of defeat. He responded magnificently as he cut out the errors and hit a number of slick winners to take a stunning 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10 triumph in 80 minutes.

Addeen Idrakie joins him in the final after the number one seed bested Chi Him Wong in a 3-1 victory.

The Malaysian started well and took the first game before being pegged back by the 21-year-old from Hong Kong. The World No.129 upped the ante in the final two games though to ensure that he moves on to the final where he will be the heavy favourite.

Tong Tsz-Wing will meet Rachel Arnold after the duo triumphed in their respective clashes with Vanessa Raj and Zulhijjah Binti Azan.

Tsz-Wing’s defeat of top seed Raj was a surprise given the 14 places between the two on the World Rankings, especially considering the fact that Raj took the first game. Tsz-Wing showed no signs of nervousness and she went on to win the next three games without reply to move on to her second final on the Malaysian Tour this year.

Meanwhile, Arnold managed to come through a nervy opening game intact against Azan after the two Malaysian’s traded a number of exciting blows.

Arnold upped her game sufficiently in the final two games to earn a comfortable victory and ensure that she will compete in the final on home-soil.

For the Men draw, World No.202 Mohd Syafiq Kamal rebounded from a 2-1 deficit to charge to victory over second seed Ahmad Al-Saraj in the quarter-final of the Malaysian Tour Squash V, PSA M5 event to reach the last four for the first time in his career.

The first three games were incredibly tight affairs with Kamal taking the opening game before games two and three went to Al-Saraj. Kamal, roared on by his home-crowd, showed a great deal of mental resilience and fought tooth-and-nail to wrestle back control of the tie and advance with an 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8 triumph.

Elvinn Keo will face Kamal in the semi-final after he defeated giant killer Henry Leung. The 20-year-old from Hong Kong dispatched one of the tournament favourites in Valentino Bon Jovi Bong in the previous round but couldn’t find a way past Keo who closed out a 3-0 victory.

Top seed Addeen Idrakie is still in with a chance of claiming his first PSA World Tour title after he saw off Cheuk Yan Tang in the pair’s quarter-final battle.

The Malaysian was irrepressible as he stormed to victory on home-soil, dropping just a handful of points throughout the encounter to secure his semi-final berth.

Chi Him Wong will be his opponent there after he beat Basem Makram with a similarly dominant display.

As for the Ladies..

Zulhijjah Binti Azan overcame an early setback to climb past number three seed Teh Min Jie in the quarter-final as she keeps up her attempts to win her first ever PSA World Tour title.

After dropping the first game in a highly-charged opener, the Malaysian moved up the gears to take the next three games without reply and eliminate her compatriot from the event.

The dangerous Rachel Arnold awaits Azan in the final four after she swept past Hana Moataz with a dominant display.

19-year-old Arnold has already managed two semi-final finishes on the Malaysian Tour so far this year and made it a third as she powered past Moataz in straight games with the second going to a tie-break.

Vanessa Raj brought an end to local player Ma Si Yi’s campaign as she blitzed to a 3-0 victory to set up a semi-final tie with Tong Tsz-Wing. The Hong-Kong World No.77 spoiled the crowd’s hopes of having an all-Malaysian semi-final after eliminating Ooi Kah Yan with an 11-3, 11-7, 11-8 victory as she remains on course for her second PSA World Tour title.