Lai Wen Li
KOTA KINABALU: It was a case of so close yet so far for Lai Wen Li as she finally found her match in the Life Time City Centre International squash tournament in Houston on Sunday.
After a great run that included her beating higher ranked players, Wen Li however fell at the final hurdles 9-11, 5-11 and 5-11 to Karina Tyma of Poland in the title match.
While disappointed with the defeat, the Sabahan however preferred to look on the positives she gained from the tournament.
“It is definitely disappointing to not able to get the win but I’m pleased with my performance this week and definitely more to work on with David (Palmer) and Mark (Burke).
“There’s definitely a lot of positiveness to take from this tournament and (I) will keep working towards it,” she said after the tournament.
For the record, world number 81 Wen Li studies at the Cornell University in the United States and trains under former world number one and two-time world champion David Palmer as well as Mark Burke.
Wen Li, 21, got off to a bright start in the tournament with wins over Canada’s Hannah Blatt 11-5, 11-1, 11-4 and India’s Kriti Muthu 11-2, 11-2, 11-3 in the second round and quarterfinals respectively.
In the semifinal, she defeated the top seed Nicole Bunyan of Canada 9-11, 11-6, 11-4, 13-11 to march into the final.
Commenting on her title showdown against third-seeded Tyma, Wen Li said she started off well but got distracted and lost her focus when after several decisions that went against her in the opening set.
In the next two sets, fourth seeded Wen Li revealed she did not stick to her game plan and went for shots too fast, which she said cost her the match.
“I really think that’s an important aspect that I need to work on,” said Wen Li who helped Malaysia women squad win the SEA Games Team gold in 2017 and 2019.
Meanwhile, Wen Li who aims to break into the world top 60 this year is expected to take part in the Squash on Fire Open in Washington starting June 27.