KUALA LUMPUR: National squash player Chan Yiwen endured some ups and downs last season but she hopes that things will change for the better this year.
Yiwen is optimistic the Year of Rabbit will bring better luck for her this season as she aims to do well in PSA tournaments and subsequently improve her rankings.
The 22-year-old will not be returning to her home town Jitra to celebrate Chinese New Year with her mother (Koid Lee Siang) and brothers (Chan Shao Hang and Chan Shao Qian). Instead, her family will celebrate the occasion with her in Kuala Lumpur.
Yiwen said that she is happy to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family as she lost her dad (Chan Thean Poy) to a heart attack in 2020.
Though she did suffer a number of disappointments last year, Yiwen said she was still pleased to end the season with a positive result at the World Women's Team Championship (WWTC) in Cairo last month.
Yiwen and partner Ainaa Ampandi missed out on bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (Aug) after losing to compatriots Rachel Arnold-Aifa Azman in the women's doubles third-place playoff.
She was also part of the women's squad that failed to defend their title at the Asian Team Championships (ATC) in Cheongju (Nov).
"It (ATC) was a hard pill to swallow. Our target was to retain the title we won in Kuala Lumpur in 2021 but we lost to Hong Kong 2-1 in the final," said Yiwen.
"Missing out on the podium in Birmingham was also tough.
"But I was able to make a memorable debut at WWTC. We were set a target of finishing in the top-five but we defied the odds to place joint-third alongside England.
"It was my best achievement last season and I hope it will boost my confidence this year. In the year of the rabbit, I hope to make a breakthough in the bigger PSA tournaments this year.
"My target is to make it into the top-50 this year. My highest world ranking was No 62 (last Aug) but I wasn't able to continue competing in more PSA events.
"This was due to off season training to prepare for three competitions - ATC, Malaysia Open (Nov) and WWTC."
Yiwen added that she is also looking to make her Asian Games debut in Hangzhou (Sep) this season.
She will be heading to the United States next month to compete at the Delaware Open and Expression Networks LLC Mclean Women's Classic, both of which are PSA events.