Teenager Aifa Azman proved her win at the North Coast Open in Coffs Harbour was no fluke when she picked up her second title in as many weeks at the Melbourne Open yesterday.
What was anticipated to be a tricky encounter turned out to be a straightforward win for Aifa as she dismantled second-seeded Australian Sarah Cardwell 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 in only 25 minutes in the final of the US$6,000 (RM25,231) tournament.
Sarah, the World No 59, had pushed Aifa to four sets in their opening round encounter in Coffs Harbour but was no match for her 17-year-old opponent this time.
Aifa, who reached the semi-finals of the World Junior Championships in Bukit Jalil last month, said her game plan worked yesterday.
“It feels amazing to win my second title in a row. Before I came to Australia I was not really confident that I could do it,” said the World No 164 from Kedah.
“After beating Sarah in the first round in Coffs Harbour, I knew I had to trust myself more and have the belief I could win both events.
“It feels great to win in straight games because last week it went to a fourth set. I knew exactly how she was going to play this time.
“She tried to slow down the game to have more time to play her shots but I think I did a good job to maintain the pace.”
Aifa upset top seed Vanessa Chu of Hong Kong in the second round in Melbourne.
She then took out fifth seed Chloe Mesic of France in the quarterfinals and compatriot Ooi Kah Yan in the semi-finals.
Aifa will next play the Malaysian Open at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil on Sep 25-29.