Kinetic Women’s Challenger: Lai Wins Second Title Of Season

Malaysia’s Wen Li Lai has won her second title in as many months, after coming through the Kinetic 5k Challenger without dropping a single game.

The Malaysian came into the Challenger 5 level women’s draw as the top seed, and started her week in Boynton Beach, Florida with a commanding performance. She dropped just five points in an 11-0, 11-3, 11-2 victory over Ecuador’s Emilia Falconi on Tuesday evening.

Her quarter final contest was trickier, as she needed two tie-breaks in a straight games victory over American junior Riya Navani. Lai won both the first and third games 12-10 in that win, before then dropping only twelve points in the semi-finals against another unseeded American, Anna Shumway.

The final saw Lai take on No.5 seed Maria Moya of Ecuador, and once again, the Malaysian made it look comfortable. She won the first couple of games 11-7 before the third was taken 11-5, as she claimed her second win of the season.

The win comes four weeks after her first victory of the campaign, at the Greenwich Open. She was No.2 seed that week and got the better of England’s Alicia Mead, the top seed, in the final.

Results: Kinetic 5k Challenger (Women’s)
Final
[1] Wen Li Lai (MAS) bt [5] Maria Moya (ECU) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (33m)

Semi-Finals
[1] Wen Li Lai (MAS) bt Anna Shumway (USA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-4 (24m)
[5] Maria Moya (ECU) bt Risa Sugimoto (JPN) 3-1: 12-10, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6 (31m)

Quarter Finals
[1] Wen Li Lai (MAS) bt Riya Navani (USA) 3-0: 12-10, 11-6, 12-10 (36m)
Anna Shumway (USA) bt Mary Mijas (GUA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 11-7 (20m)
Risa Sugimoto (JPN) bt [3] Erisa Sano Herring (JPN) 3-2: 11-8, 13-15, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6 (41m)
[5] Maria Moya (ECU) bt [2] Hannah Blatt (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 (20m)

First Round
[1] Wen Li Lai (MAS) bt Emilia Falconi (ECU) 3-0: 11-0, 11-3, 11-2 (17m)
Riya Navani (USA) bt [6] Hana Ismail (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8 (39m)
Anna Shumway (USA) bt [7] Noorena Shams (PAK) 3-0: 11-1, 11-1, 11-0 (9m)
Mary Mijas (GUA) bt [4] Sara Khan (CAN) 3-2: 9-11, 17-15, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5 (36m)
[3] Erisa Sano Herring (JPN) bt Isabella Tang (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 (17m)
Risa Sugimoto (JPN) bt [8] Sana Bahadar (PAK) 3-0: 11-2, 11-1, 11-5 (15m)
[5] Maria Moya (ECU) bt Natalie de Champlain (USA) 3-0: 11-1, 11-3, 11-3 (15m)
[2] Hannah Blatt (CAN) bt Hannah Guthrie (CAN) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 (17m)