TEENAGE squash star Aira Azman is destined for greater things after an outstanding week at the Asian Junior Championships.
The 17-year-old was peerless as she romped to the girls' Under-19 title by beating Hong Kong's Kirstie Wong 11-8, 11-3, 11-2 in Pattaya on Sunday.
In doing so, she has succeeded where her sister — national No 2 Aifa — had failed in claiming the Under-19 title.
Aifa, a three-time Asian Junior winner, was the hot favourite in 2019 but went down to compatriot Chan Yiwen in the final.
Aira's feat was the second good news she had for the week.
She received a huge boost by scoring 6As in her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations. It shows that she can balance both sports and studies.
To add the icing on the cake, Aira's success has cemented her status as the most decorated junior in the competition's history.
She now has a record of five Asian Junior crowns — the Under-13 and Under-15 titles twice from 2016-2019.
Aira will return next year for one more shot at the Under-19 title and her achievements are unlikely to be overtaken anytime soon.
"It feels great to win the Asian Junior title following a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19," said Aira.
"If not, I could have won the Under-17 titles as well, so this feels like redemption.
"Overall, I had a good week, as I managed to stay focused throughout.
"My SPM results came out earlier last week, and I was a little nervous. However, I was glad it was a good result, and I played well."
If Aira can maintain and improve her current form, she will stand a chance at glory in the World Junior Championships this year.
The world juniors will be held in Nancy, France, from Aug 11-21.
No Malaysian has won the girls' title since Datuk Nicol David's back-to-back success in 1999 and 2001.
The closest a Malaysian has gotten to was Aifa's semi-final run in 2019.
And there is hope that maybe Aira can take her chances this year.