NATIONAL squash player Rachel Arnold’s struggle to end Malaysia’s decade-long drought as the women’s champion of the Asian Individual Squash Championship, once again failed when she lost to Hong Kong’s Ho Tze Lok in the final of the 23rd edition at the Sarawak Squash Centre in Petra Jaya today.
The world 19th-ranked player had to accept the superiority of her opponent after losing 4-11, 12-10, 4-11, 0-11 in a 36-minute match.
The Kuala Lumpur-born player put up a tremendous fight in the second set but failed to curb the continuous pressure of the Hong Kong player who appeared more consistent and sharp in her shots.
“I am a bit disappointed with my performance in the final… I admit the pressure was quite high and I feel I was unable to adapt to the court conditions today.
“She (Ho) played really well today. She was putting me under a lot of pressure. Every time she did that, I would just sort of go for it. Now I think maybe I should have just stayed calm in those situations,” said the 29-year-old player, who also admitted that the hot weather was a big challenge throughout the match.
Malaysia’s all-time great Datuk Nicol Ann David, the queen of squash who is also a nine-time Asian champion, was the last national female player to win the tournament in 2015.
At the 2021 edition in Islamabad, Pakistan, Rachel’s dream of winning the title was also extinguished after losing to Hong Kong player Tong Tsz Wing in the final.
Even though her maiden Asian title is still elusive, Rachel is determined to continue to stay in the hunt for gold in the next edition.
“My goal is still to get the title, eventually… I am aiming towards getting a better ranking in the PSA (Professional Squash Association). I think of breaking into the top 10 in the end, that is my main goal,“ she said.