Back into the groove: Syafiq Kamal (right) is expected to square off with England’s James Peach in the final.
PETALING JAYA: It has been five years since Syafiq Kamal last won a professional title tour and he is hoping to end that long drought at the 6k ACE Challenger tournament in Kuala Terengganu beginning today.
Syafiq, 28, is the top seed and is expected to meet second seed James Peach of England in the final.
He is also aware of the threat from young Malaysians, especially world No. 156 Joachim Chuah, whom he is expected to meet in the quarter-finals.
Joachim has reached three of the four PSA Challenger finals over the last two months and has won the legs in Hong Kong and Perth.
Meanwhile, Syafiq reached the quarter-finals in his last two tournaments – the 20k CNS International in Karachi and the 15k Dynam Cup in Yokohama – and wants to improve on those results.
“My last PSA title was in 2019 and I want to win again.
“That is the reason why I decided to play in a 6k tournament,” said Syafiq.
“I have worked on my fitness and performance over the last few months and a title will be a motivation for me to work even harder.
“Although I am the top seed, there are some strong players early on and I want to focus on clearing those hurdles.
“Joachim has been doing well and he is one of the rising young players I have to keep an eye on.
“It’s also good to see young Malaysian players stepping up and this also encourages seniors like me to work even harder to remain part of the national team.”
Syafiq will also be boosted by the gold at the Asian Team Championships in Dalian last month where he teamed up with Ng Eain Yow, Addeen Idrakie and C. Ameeshenraj to beat Hong Kong 2-1.
This was followed by a silver medal effort in the Asian Doubles Championships in Johor Baru last week where he partnered Ong Sai Hung in the men’s doubles.
In the women’s event, K. Sehveetrraa will be aiming to add the ACE Challenger crown she won to the PSNS Trophy that she captured in Seremban two weeks ago.
