KUALA LUMPUR: National women's singles shuttler Myisha Khairul won her first senior title after a thrilling battle against compatriot Siti Nurshuhaini Azman in the Dutch International final in Wateringen today.
The 19-year-old took 65 minutes to subdue Siti 21-19, 18-21, 21-19 to become the first Malaysian women's singles champion since the tournament's inception in 2000.
The win saw Myisha exact sweet revenge on her junior teammate after losing tamely to her in an internal ranking meet, costing her a place in the squad for the Uber Cup Finals in Aarhus last October.
The Dutch International was Myisha's only fourth senior level start since she was promoted to the back-up squad in mid-last year.
Myisha's previous best finish was reaching the last eight of the Swedish Open three months ago and Irish Open last November.
As for the 17-year-old Siti, the defeat marked her second near-miss of a senior level breakthrough, having also emerged runner-up at the Czech Open last October.
The creditable performances by Myisha and Siti in the Dutch International augur well for the national squad as they gear up for the Uber Cup Finals in Bangkok and Hanoi SEA Games next month.