Challenger Events
The Tuanku Muhriz Trophy SFs: Chan Fights Back to Beat Azman on Dramatic Day of Action
Sin Yuk Chan staged a dramatic fightback to beat top seed Aifa Azman on an action-packed semi-finals day at the The Tuanku Muhriz Trophy, which saw three of the four matches go the distance.
Home favourite Azman was targeting a spot in what would have been her 13th PSA Squash Tour final, with a potential matchup against her younger sister Aira on the cards.
The 22-year-old had beaten Chan in their only previous encounter, coming in the Women’s World Team Championships of 2022, and two games into this meeting, it looked as though she’d make it two from two against the No.3 seed.
But Chan – who won only seven points across the first two games – had other ideas, closing out game three 11-9 on her third game ball, before taking game four on a tiebreak, albeit only after seeing three game balls come and go at 10-7 up, and then saving a match ball of her own at 11-10 down.
That match ball was somewhat controversial, as a yes-let was given when Azman felt she should have had a stroke, and Chan eventually clinched the game 14-12 on a delicate forehand drop.
There was plenty more drama to come in game five, though, as a tiebreak was once again required.
After fighting back from 9-7 down to bring up another match ball at 10-9, Azman was denied by a brilliant backhand volley from the racket of Chan, who then brought up a match ball of her own at 12-11.
This time it was Chan’s turn to feel aggrieved at a yes-let decision, but she would finally get over the line moments later, with the referee giving a no-let decision on a backhand down the line.
Chan will now take on the younger Azman sister, Aira, for the women’s title, after another five-game duel in the second semi-final.
Azman was playing Ainaa Amani in an all-Malaysian matchup, with the players going head-to-head in The Tuanku Muhriz Trophy for a third consecutive year, and it was the No.2 seed who took game one, winning it 11-9.
Amani hit back to win the second 11-8, though no one would have predicted the outcome of game three, which saw Amani record a bagel to take control of proceedings with a 2-1 lead.
But 19-year-old Azman showed maturity beyond her years to put that disappointment behind her, clinching game three 11-6 before closing out the decider 11-7.
The men’s draw also featured its fair share of drama, not least in the second semi-final between Indian duo Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar.
The pair had recently gone to five games in the Indian National Championships final, with Singh winning 3-2, and he repeated the feat here after 70 minutes of action on the glass court.
His reward is a meeting with top seed Tsz Kwan Lau, who ended home interest in the men’s event by beating Addeen Idrakie 3-1.
The finals get underway at 12pm local time on Sunday, September 1st, streaming live on the PSNS Squash YouTube channel.
