KUALA LUMPUR – Teenage squash player Chen Yu Jie recorded an upset over Heo Min-gyeong of South Korea in the first round of the Asian World Championships qualifiers at the National Sports Complex squash court, Jalan Duta today.
The 18-year-old Malaysian squared off with the tournament’s eighth-seeded player and had a poor start going down 2-1.
However, Yu Jie levelled the score by winning the fourth set 11-5 before wrapping up with a win in the fifth set.
Yu Jie defeated 28-year-old Min-gyeong 7-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 13-11.
“I was not aggressive in the beginning and was 2-1 down. I tried to be more aggressive and thankfully I won the next three sets.
“I was not stressed because I was the lower-ranked player and I just told myself to try and play my best.
“I haven’t really felt it yet but I’m thrilled right now, my parents are here too so it’s nice to win in front of them,” the Seremban native told Scoop after the match.
Yu Jie will play number one seed Chen Nga-ching from Hong Kong in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
“I’m just going to play my best and hopefully I’ll get one or two sets… and who knows maybe I’ll win?”
Earlier, Nga-Ching played another Malaysian, Goh Zhi Xuan in her first-round match.
She was dragged to five-sets by the 18-year-old Zhi Xuan, eventually triumphing 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6. – April 18, 2024