JAWAIRIAH Noordin created history by delivering Malaysia’s first ever gold medal in the women’s singles tennis event at the Asean University Games (AUG) yesterday.
Jawairiah, who helped the women’s team to the third place on Tuesday, was stronger in all aspects but battled nerves before downing Thailand’s C. Jundakate 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 in the final at the Bukit Asam Tennis Complex in Palembang.
The Universiti Malaysia Perlis student said she was delighted to improve on her bronze medal in the singles two years ago.
“I did not expect to win the gold here as I knew a lot of good players from Thailand and Indonesia would be competing. So there was no pressure on me at the start of the singles tournament,” said the 24-year-old, who struggled with blisters on both feet throughout the event.
“I led by two breaks in each set but she (Jundakate) always came back strongly. I was quite nervous as I really wanted to win it for Malaysia.
“I went all out and did not hold back even though I still have the mixed doubles to play. It did not matter if I could not play any other match. I just wanted to win.
“It feels great to be the first (Malaysian) to win the women’s singles at the AUG. I have to thank the team for supporting me.”
It has been a solid second-half of the year for Jawariah, who has packed a more complete ground game recently, as she had also won the BMW Masters Championships last month, earning her a wild card to the WTA BMW Malaysian Open qualifiers next year. By Fadhli Ishak