KUALA LUMPUR: Despite battling a knee injury, two-time national champion Aira Azman emerged victorious at the Tuanku Muhriz Squash Trophy in Negri Sembilan today.
The second seed, who previously won the title in 2022, defeated Hong Kong's third seed Chan Sin Yuk 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 in just 27 minutes to claim the women's crown at Mohd Said Sports Complex in Seremban Two.
The 19-year-old Aira sustained a knee injury during her semi-final victory over compatriot Ainaa Amani on Saturday.
Sin Yuk, meanwhile, defeated Aira's sister, Aifa, in the last four.
Despite the injury, Aira managed to power through the final, securing a straight-game victory.
"I'm happy to avenge my defeat to Sin Yuk in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. I've been studying her game closely for some time.
"I also took lessons from Aifa's semi-final defeat and followed her advice on how to play against Sin Yuk," said Aira.
On the severity of her injury, Aira acknowledged the pain but expressed satisfaction with her performance.
"It's painful, but I didn't give up in the final. I'm glad to win my second title here," she said.
Aira, who lost last year's final to S. Sivasangari, will now skip this week's ACE Challenger Tour event to recover.
In the men's final, fourth seed Abhay Singh of India came from a game down to upset top seed Tsz Kwan Lau of Hong Kong 7-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-4.